Eulogizing Memoirs
by Amelie Rae Lanhoss
Summary: 11 years of memories. 2 best friends to live them. 26yearold Hermione Granger relives her memories of Sirius Black, from games of Twister at Number 12 Grimmauld Place to the month she accidentally spent in 1976, as she gives the eulogy at his funeral. AU
1. Prologue

Eulogizing Memoirs

Amelie Rae Lanhoss 

**[A/N-Dedicated, in loving memory always, to K.M.L.**

** -C.R.C.]**

Prologue

He's dead.

I'm 26 years old and I can now honestly say that the only two people in my life, whom I have ever trusted completely, are dead. Freaking wonderful, isn't it? Straight out of a fairytale. I'm giving his eulogy. Not Harry, or Remus, or Dumbledore, but me. I didn't prepare anything; I don't have anything written down. Ironic, isn't it? He used to tease me all the time; he would say that I always have everything done the minute before it's assigned.

A few Christmas' after Harry, Ron, and I graduated from Hogwarts he jokingly told me, during one of our long talks, that I would probably have my own eulogy prepared for someone to read the week before I died. When I asked him how he would have his eulogy given he said he wanted whoever did it to just repeat special memories. To try to convey to the audience how much fun he'd had and tell as many memories as they possibly could. He wanted that to be the last thing people heard about him, someone who he trusted unconditionally, recounting favorite memories without 'stupid prompt card thingys'.

The will reading was a few days ago. I went, as did Harry, Remus, Tonks, the Weasley's, and a few other Order members. Most of his money and actual possessions went to Harry and Tonks, but both Remus and I received a shoebox each, full of things he said reminded him of either one of us. I'm showing my shoebox today.

He said that he trusted me the most. There was an entire section in the will that he spent rambling about how much he trusted Remus and I, how he loved Harry like a son, how Tonks was the only living person in his family who was decent, how he considered Dumbledore to be a grandfather of sorts, how he was _so_ grateful to the Weasley's for all their support and hospitality over the years, and how he would miss us all so much. He rambled. Sirius _never_ rambled, only when he was exceptionally nervous about something. That was the last section of the will. In the very last clause he asked, assuming, of course, that I would still be alive, if I would do his eulogy. He said I was the only person who knew how he wanted it done and I was one of the few people he trusted enough to 'do a clean job of it'.

I think there was a good deal of people who were surprised, if not shocked, at how much Sirius said he trusted me, and the amount of times he said it. Most people, I'm sure, expected him to ask Remus to do it, to do the eulogy. I know for a fact that Harry thought he was going to be asked to do it. I doubt a lot of people knew just how close we were. Remus knew, though, that's definite; he didn't look at all surprised. I've wondered before just how much of our conversations Remus heard or knew about. Apparently enough to know that Sirius does, _did,_ trust me completely. I have to admit that it shocked me somewhat that Sirius trusted me the _most_ out of everyone. I knew he trusted me. I knew that he trusted me as much as I trusted him, but I had always assumed that he trusted at least _one_ person more than he trusted me. I guess not. Something I wish I had never had the opportunity to learn.

Remus is a complete wreck. I don't blame him. It hurts so freaking bad all the time. He's the last Marauder alive now, the last _true_ Marauder. Pettigrew doesn't count, the fucking little traitorous rat. Dumbledore's suggested that Remus moves in with me. Apparently some of the medi-wizards at St. Mungo's aren't completely convinced of his sanity. They think losing Sirius, his only childhood friend left, while he was still recovering from the full moon that had been the day before, might have scarred him too much, emotionally.

He's gotten into the habit of going to a different pub each night and getting completely drunk. We've actually started taking nightly shifts to make sure he's home with a Hamone's Hangover Draught # 7 by midnight each night. Harry and Luna have Monday's, Ron and his girl-of-the-week have Tuesday's, Dumbledore or McGonagall take Wednesday's, I have Thursday's, Snape, shockingly enough, goes on Friday's, Tonks Saturday's, and Ginny and Draco find him Sunday's. Finding him is rarely a problem, usually he's already partially drunk when he leaves his flat and doesn't have the presence of mind to go any further than the Leaky Cauldron or somewhere in Hogsmeade. According to the others the difficulty is in getting him to leave the bar. Strangely enough, I've never had trouble with this.

The only reason I hate Thursday's more than anything is because I have to see one of the people whom I respect the most, someone who I've never once seen upset or entirely saddened, drunk beyond belief, just to take away some of his pain. The times that hurt the most are the Thursday's that he calls me Padfoot, insists he's not drunk, and leaves, easily enough, leaning on me, and asking if I remember various pranks 'we an' James an' the rat' played during 'our' Hogwarts days.

Dumbledore told me that during one of his drunken ramblings at the Hog's Head on a Wednesday he claimed that I was 'the only true Padfoot still alive'. Because Remus has said, repeatedly, that I'm 'the only piece of Padfoot left' everyone thinks it's best for his sanity if he stays with me and has a constant reminder that I _am_ still alive, meaning that, in Remus' eyes, the second Marauder to die isn't completely gone.

Today is Thursday, August 27, another Thursday and another bad memory to add to The Scrapbook. At least tonight I know Remus will be getting drunk at my flat and I won't have to go out to look for him. Dumbledore says he's already moved all of Remus' stuff in. I'm not sure if they've told Remus about his change in residency yet, he's supposed to leave with me after the funeral service. It's a good thing I had made sure to get a flat with two bedrooms when I left Hogwarts. At the time it was just somewhere for Ron or Harry to crash for the night in case their girlfriends got mad at them and kicked them out, something that usually happened more to Ron than Harry. It was also for the many nights Sirius didn't feel like staying by himself at Grimmauld Place. Remus always said I spoiled Sirius too much because I had practically given him a second bedroom and a second home. I never mentioned that Sirius had told me before that he considered my flat 'home' and Grimmauld Place 'a dog house'. I think I'll tell everyone that today.

Everyone's here for the funeral. Ever since Sirius was proven innocent near the end of our sixth year practically the entire wizarding world has been trying to get him to 'forgive' them. He thought it was hilarious the way that people, who, barely more than a month ago, were still calling him a 'traitor, who should get the Dementor's Kiss', now sent him flowers and candy and apologies daily. The Alcohol Truffle boxes were his favorites. After Luna printed that as one of the headlines in an issue of _The Quibbler_ those were pretty much the _only_ chocolates he got.

_ The Daily Prophet_, _The Quibbler_, _Wand! Magazine_, _Celebrity Lives_, _Fortescue's Freelance Exhibitor_, _Daily Quill Notes_, and _W - World_, along with a few other tabloids are all sitting in a section roped off and labeled 'PRESS'. Congratulations, Siri darling, you're getting the hero's farewell you've dreamed of. I just wish I could be watching it with you and not down here.

Harry and Luna are sitting up front with their kids, Angela, Lily, Ginger, Cara, and Joey, who are all dressed in red, blue, and black. Ron's behind them with his new girlfriend, another blonde-haired, blue-eyed bimbo, without a brain, who, I think, he said was called _Sunny_. Excuse me while I delve into sarcasm for a moment and say 'how incredibly original'. The rest of the Weasley's are in the same row as Ron and Sunny, or the one behind. Fred and Katie are with their sons Nicolas and Andrew, Charlie and Gabrielle with their daughter Fleur (in tribute to Gabrielle's sister), Bill and a very pregnant Pansy, Percy and Penelope with their son Paulie, George with his longtime girlfriend Angelina, and Molly and Arthur. The Malfoy's, of course, are sitting directly behind them, Ginny and Draco with their children, Meghan, Athena, and Jack. Next to them sit Colin and Parvati and Dennis and Lavender, both Mrs. Creevey's looking as pregnant as Pansy Weasley. The Wood's have a row of their own behind the Malfoy's and Creevey's, Alicia and Oliver are already desperately trying to keep Andrea, Otto, Owen, Amanda, Annie, Allison, and Aurora in their seats and under some semblance of quiet.

Dumbledore is sitting in the front row with Harry, as are Snape and Tonks who have made the wise decision to put a completely sober Remus between them. The Finnigan's and Zabini's are here, too, I can pick out Terry and Hannah Boot as well as Justin Finch-Fletchley and Susan Bones. After that it's pretty much a sea of faces, some I know by name, like Kingsley and Dung, some I can just recognize their faces from Order meetings long past, and some I can tell were simply old friends or had just wandered in to what the papers were already calling 'The Funeral Of The Century For A True Hero' as of almost a week ago. Wonder what they'll call Harry's funeral.

They'll call my name to speak any minute now. Did I mention that I don't have anything prepared? That I didn't write anything down? I know what I'm going to start with though, my first memory of seeing Sirius as someone I could trust. The split second he became my true best friend. And after that I'll just keep telling memories. I'll tell them everything, consider this 'Our Memoirs', Sirius' and mine. I'll tell one memory after another, I'll do it just like he wanted, and he'll be remembered just like he wanted.

As I start to walk towards the backstage area I let myself take a last glance around at all the people who had truly known my best friend and honestly would miss him. One look in Harry's eyes tells me that he still thinks he should be giving the eulogy instead of me. I knew he was going to be a bit miffed but I had figured that he would be over it by now. I'm starting to wonder just how little Sirius talked about me to him. He did say once that Harry had seemed jealous at how much Sirius told me. He also seemed a little jealous about the fact that something Sirius could casually mention about me in a conversation, something he could act as if it was incredibly obvious and should be common knowledge to everyone by now, I had never even mentioned anything _slightly _similar to him. I remember the time in my seventh year when Sirius asked me just how little I told Harry. I said I told Harry as much as I told the rest of the world. I think that was when he realized, fully, for the first time, just how much I had to trust him to tell him so much.

Remus is looking at me with empty eyes, pleading me silently not to give the eulogy, not to make Sirius truly gone. As he mouths 'Padfoot Jr.' to me I disappear behind the curtain and the Priest Warlock starts winding down with his speech. He says my cue and I come back out slowly, shooting an apologetic glance at Remus I wait another second as the Priest Warlock starts to introduce me. Another minute or so later he has, it seems, finished listing everything I've ever done in my entire life. Another few seconds while he talks about how good a friend I must have been for Sirius to actually _request_ that I do the eulogy. A second later he's motioning me to the podium as he says my name.

"Hermione Granger."


	2. 1:The Usual Nightmare

Eulogizing Memoirs

Amelie Rae Lanhoss

**A/N- Review responses, if anyone cares to see, are part of my bio. This chapter is dedicated to my first and most flattering reviewer, Azriel Ursula Thorne, and, as always, in loving memory to K.M.L.**

**-C.R.C.**

Chapter 1-The Usual Nightmare

_Sparkling, white walls._

_Four sparkling, white walls were the first things my tired brain registered as I woke up groggily. Next came the wooden armrest to the uncomfortable teal-colored chair I had been sleeping in. Slowly, an entire hospital room came into focus, the bed occupied by my best friend Kevin._

_Oh yes, how could I possibly forget? Kevin is in a coma. I still can't believe no one told me. I should've known something was wrong when Mum said I had to go run errands with her instead of playing with Kevin when I asked a couple days ago. Mum _never_ makes me run errands with her. She hates running them almost as much as I do._

_I've been in here since yesterday afternoon when Mrs. Larosey, Kevin's mum, brought me. She thought Mum had already told me about Kevin so she asked me why I had come when I ran across the street to their house yesterday. When I told her I had something _really, super cool_ to tell Kevin she gave me this funny look. You know, the ones grown-ups use when they want to say 'Don't act so stupid! You nincompoop!' but they don't really say that because it's not the grown-up thing to do? Then she told me that Kevin was at St. Mary's Hospital because there was something wrong with his heart and he needed a new one (She explained this to me like I was four years old! Idiot adults.)._

_Now I'm here waiting for him to wake up. I can't wait until he does! It'll be so cool! I want to tell him all about the letter I got yesterday. It said that I was a witch and that I was supposed to go to this magic school with a funny name, Pigs-Have-Warts or something like that, it'll be so cool! Maybe Mum will even let me ask Kevin to come when we go to Diagonally Alleyway (I think that's what it's called!) and get my new _spell_books for my new school! It'll be so much fun!_

_"…not make it…"_

_"…_must_ be something…"_

_The doctors in the hall are talking again, this time with two people I can't really see from here. One of them looks almost hysterical. I feel _really_ sorry for whoever they're talking to, imagine learning _before_ they die that someone you love is going to die, you have all the time from then to when they actually die as extra grieving time. The first person just let out a particularly _loud_ sob._

_"My poor baby!"_

_You know how people always say that their 'blood ran cold' when they're really, _really_ shocked or scared? I just understood what that means, _and_ what it feels like._

My poor baby!

_I _know_ that voice, it's Mrs. Larosey. But, if _she's_ the one the doctors are talking to, then _Kevin_ is the one they're saying might not make-no, no, no, back _away_ from that thought Herms, Kevin _will_ make it, of course he will. He's just stuck in a really deep sleep. A really, really, _really_ deep sleep._

_A water drop just fell on the sheet. _I'm crying. _Why am I crying? I shouldn't be crying. There's nothing to cry over. Everything's fine, everyone's fine, Kevin is_ not_ going to die. Angrily rubbing my eyes to make sure no more tears come I grab Kevin's hand with my other one. Even though his hand is close to freezing the fact that there's still _some _warmth is incredibly reassuring._

"But what if he still dies?"

_I _hate_ that stupid little voice in the back of my head. It always has to come up with the worst possible outcome to something and keep it stuck in the back of my head._

"But what if he still dies?"

_"You_ can't_ die Kevin, you just _can't_. Who am I going to tell about all my adventures at magic school to if you die? You _can't_ die, you _have_ to wake up."_

_I don't know why I whispered that, I know he can't hear me but I still feel like I have to say _something_. Something to make him know that he just _can't_ die, something to make him wake up._

_Then, as if to prove me wrong, to prove that, yes, he _can_ die; one of the machines at his side that had been beeping steadily let out one long beep and then stopped beeping altogether. At first I took this as a good thing, the regular beeping had gotten pretty annoying and the quiet seemed like a blessing. Of course, this _stopped_ being a good sign when all the doctors from the hallway came running in with Mr. and Mrs. Larosey right behind them. That was when I realized what the machine must have been and what the beeping meant._

A heart monitor.

_The doctors looked like they were checking for something in him while Mr. and Mrs. Larosey stood to the side. I don't think they had noticed I was there yet. With a large sigh the doctor that looked like he was in charge went over to Mr. and Mrs. Larosey and shook his head sadly, "I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do, he's gone."_

_Mrs. Larosey sobbed again and turned her face into Mr. Larosey's chest. He patted her back lightly as he looked to be on the verge of tears too. Suddenly Kevin sat up in the bed. I froze in shock. I wanted to show the adults who hadn't noticed yet, I wanted to smile, I wanted to shout how relieved I was, but I didn't. For some reason I couldn't move. Kevin's stare kept me in my chair._

_"This is your fault," he said, as if he was just stating a fact._

But it can't be my fault! It's not my fault! Honest! I haven't done anything! _I wanted to scream all that out but my throat felt clogged and I was having the hardest time opening my mouth._

_"Yes it is. It's your fault."_

_It seemed like I didn't have to say anything. _Can he read my mind?

_"Of course I can, I'm dead, and it's your fault."_

It's not my fault!

_"Yes it is. I needed a new heart, you should have given me yours."_

But then I would have died!_ I couldn't believe the words coming out of my best friend's mouth._

_"That's right, I was supposed to be your best friend. You should have _wanted_ to die for me. You should have_ wanted_ to keep me alive-"_

But I _did _want you alive! I_ do_ want you alive!

_"Then you should have died for me, right?"_

But…but… _This could_ not_ be happening._

_"You killed me!"_

A slight shriek and a jerk upward and I was sitting on my bed in Number 12 Grimmauld Place, a streak of sweat running down the side of my face from my forehead.

"Damn," I muttered quietly. Glancing quickly to my right I made sure Ginny was still sleeping before I slipped out of bed. I took one last look to make sure she wasn't moving (guess I only yelled in my dream this time instead of out loud), then opened the door and walked quietly into the hallway. Desperately hoping Harry's godfather kept hot chocolate in his house I crept down the stairs (avoiding the ones I knew creaked) and into the kitchen. It only took me about two minutes worth of rummaging around in the cupboards before I found a small box filled with Althea's Already Hot, Hot Chocolate (Only Add Water) packets. Yet another wonderful thing about the wizarding world, you don't need a stove or microwave to make my favorite drink, coincidentally also the only one that chases away the details of my nightmares. I pulled a packet and a mug out before putting the box back and walking over to the sink. Five minutes later I had a cup of hot chocolate and was settling myself down on the old couch in the living room, watching the dying embers in the fireplace.

Ignoring one of the top stairs that had just creaked I stirred my drink with a spoon and got lost in the memories of my nightmare. It's always like this, every time I have a nightmare, which is basically every other night or so, I'll wake up in a cold sweat, slip downstairs to, hopefully, make hot chocolate then settle myself in front of either a window or a fireplace, and, finally, relive the nightmare as much as my mind can take before I drift back into an exhausted sleep.

"Hot chocolate in August at two in the morning? I don't think I've ever heard of someone doing that before."

"Holy shit!"

Shock and surprise made me give a little jump and spill some of the hot liquid onto my pajama top before I could sit down calmly again.

Muffled laughter made it's way to me and I stopped my efforts at cleaning myself up with a napkin to instead turn and glare at the newcomer. He held both of his hands up in an 'I surrender' gesture before he sat down on the other side of the couch and mimicked my pose, putting both his feet on the couch so our toes were close to touching in the middle.

"Sorry Hermione, didn't know you were _that_ deep in thought."

"What the hell were you trying to do!? Freak the crap out of me?!" Normally I wouldn't practically _yell _at an adult but I think that, under the circumstances, I'll make an exception.

He flashed me a mischievous smile (something, I'm sure, that came from his Marauder days) before answering, "That depends."

I hesitated a second before I let my natural curiosity wash over me and I took the bait, "Depends on _what_?"

Flashing me another of those smiles he said, "On whether or not I can tell people that I startled the one and only Hermione Granger."

I exhaled loudly and relaxed a little, realizing that he wasn't going down the first line of questioning about _why_ I was up.

"_Startled_ is a bit of an understatement but I suppose you can tell."

"Excellent!"

When he was quiet for another minute and looked like he was lost in his own memories I turned back to watching the embers flicker lightly and, once again, immersed myself in the nightmarish memories of the afternoon Kevin died.

"So why hot chocolate?"

"Helps with the nightmares." I answered offhandedly before I realized just _what _I had actually said.

_Shit, Granger. Not good. How slow are you? You've spent five years hiding the fact that you have nightmares from everybody and in one stupid four-word answer to a stupid question you completely screw everything up! What the hell is going wrong in your head!?_

Normally when that little voice in the back of my head starts talking I tell it to shut up, tonight, however, I was agreeing with everything it said as I waited anxiously to see what Sirius would say.

To his credit the surprise that was easily seen in his eyes didn't affect his body language anymore than a slight widening of his eyes.

"Nightmares?" he questioned casually, "How does hot chocolate help with those?"

"Why?" I muttered under my breath sarcastically, "Get them a lot yourself?"

"Yeah, actually, I do."

Oops, apparently I wasn't as quiet as I thought I had been, but still, how did he-right, canine hearing, forgot about that. Oh well, what's that expression? In for a penny, in for a pound? Something like that anyways. I swallowed, somewhat apprehensive of where this was headed, hopefully not to where I would have to finally tell someone all about it, and chose to answer his question again, without the sarcasm this time.

"Well, uh, I'm not really sure…it works for me though, every time I have a nightmare I drink some and it helps me fall asleep again."

Okay, so maybe not in for a _whole_ pound, he didn't have to know about the reliving-the-dream-over-and-over-until-completely-exhausted part.

"Really? I usually need to let my brain go over my nightmares a few times before I can fall asleep."

Am guessing he already knows the reliving-the-dream-over-and-over-until-completely-exhausted part. Somehow I never imagined when I got up this morning, well, if what he said was true and it really was two in the morning, then _yesterday_ morning, that by the middle of the night I would be discussing nightmares and how to get back to sleep after them with Sirius Black. I think the 'life is full of curveballs' saying would go well here.

"That-that helps too." I answered, somewhat shakily.

He looked directly at me with a piercing gaze before tilting his head ever-so-slightly and asking, "What's your nightmare?" almost as if he knows I only ever have the one that just keeps playing itself over and over. Kind of creepy.

Well, how am I supposed to answer _that_? I suppose 'In for a penny, in for a pound', it is then. After all, he already knows I have nightmares, no one else knows that, if I can't trust him I'm completely screwed over. Trust. Whoopee. My favorite issue.

Chewing on my bottom lip I think over what to tell him and how much. In for a penny, in for a pound. I guess I'll tell him everything about it and from the beginning.

"Can you-I mean, _will _you-" I pause for a minute, take a deep breath, and start over.

"Promise you won't tell anyone? Anyone at all?" I ask, feeling incredibly like a childish Hufflepuff.

"I promise."

"And-and you won't interrupt me? At all?" I lick my lips nervously and wait for his answer.

"I won't interrupt you, at all. I promise."

Taking another deep breath I slowly lace and unlace my fingers in lap, the hot chocolate mug sitting forgotten on the floor in front of me, I slowly get ready to tell my story, the story behind my nightmare. I don't know why I felt so compelled to tell him about the best friend I had lost. I had never told anyone that I had even _had_ a friend before Hogwarts. Even the people who knew, like my parents and the Larosey's, didn't know how much Kevin's death affected me. I didn't tell anyone, so no one knew; now though, someone was going to learn. I closed my eyes for a moment and began my story.

"When I was four years old my mum, dad, and I moved into a new house on Merwitz Street. We lived in between the Morton's, a couple with two grown sons both already out of the house and in university, and the Knightman's, an old couple who liked to be left alone and didn't like loud noises. Most of the people in the neighborhood were like that, both extremely old and temperamental or not _quite_ old yet, but still with sons and daughters already in university. Across the street from us were the Larosey's, the only other exception to that rule besides us.

"The Larosey's had a son who was five years old when I was four. They were so happy that there was another family with a young child that they came over within five minutes after the moving truck had been unpacked and waved away. Kevin was his name, their son. Mr. and Mrs. Larosey told us to play nicely in the front yard while they talked a bit with my parents inside the house and told them all about the neighborhood.

"The first thing he did was to poke my nose. I thought that was the _weirdest_ thing ever, so, I poked his nose back."

Here Sirius let out a snort of amusement and I answered with a small nostalgic smile before continuing.

"After that he told me I was his best friend, I answered by telling him that my best friend was my nicest looking Barbie doll. The next day he brought me a strawberry cupcake, he said that it was his favorite kind and that the cupcake was the last one left from the batch his mum had made. He told me I could have it if I said he was my best friend. I had never had a strawberry cupcake before, my mum had only ever made vanilla and carrot cakes, and I was curious to taste it, so, I said he was my best friend and got the cupcake. When you're four and five years old a best friend isn't much, you can easily switch best friends every week, every day even! But we didn't, we stayed the best of friends for six years, more than half of both our lives. By the time I was ten and he was eleven I could barely remember meeting him, he had been such a huge part of my life for such a long time, for more than half of it…

"I never really liked strawberry cake up until about five, five and a half, years ago. I never had the heart to tell him though. Even, even that first time when I didn't even know him yet…just because he came back and he wasn't family, because he didn't have to come back but he still did, he became my best friend and I trusted him completely. I _trusted _him. I trusted _only _him completely. I think he knew though, that I didn't like strawberry cake, but he never said anything about it, just, occasionally, he would say they only had one strawberry and one chocolate left and give me the chocolate one without asking my preference. He had a way of reading me that no one else has ever had; he always knew what I was thinking and what I needed. I know that trusting someone _that _much sounds a bit extreme for little kids but it was still true.

"I remember how, when I turned ten, we were _finally _allowed to go down to the pool by ourselves, we were so incredibly cocky, we thought we were the coolest kids on the block because of it. Of course, we were the _only _kids on the block and the pool was just down the street, so that, if they really wanted to, and sometimes they did anyway, our mums could set up lawn chairs at the end of our driveways and still be able to see the outlines of two ten-year olds splashing in a pool.

"We were the little angels on our street, together we could get away with just about anything. Even when it was _so obvious_ that we were the ones behind something, like ruining a cake or moving a sprinkler into a car, we would just bat our eyelashes and blame Crochet, Kevin's cat, for 'causing a ruckus', as Mrs. Knightman would always say. Crochet is still alive, though he's getting very old, and he looks like a smaller version of Crookshanks. Crochet's the main reason I bought Crookshanks, Crookshanks reminded me _so much _of Crochet that for a second I could almost pretend that Kevin wasn't dead, that he was with me on my first trip to Diagon Alley and we had found a kitten that was Crochet's twin and that we were all excited to see if I could buy it.

"My birthday is September 19th so, in August of 1991 I was still ten-years old. One day I got a letter, now; this was a very _strange_ letter, the envelope itself just looked like some kind of heavy parchment, there were no stamps on it, my _bedroom_ was part of the address, and, my dad said he could have sworn it was an _owl_ that had come and dropped it on the_ kitchen_ table. In the wizarding world these are common things, in a perfectly normal, completely _muggle_ family who had never even _heard_ of the wizarding world, however, that is a very, very strange thing to have happen. Since it was addressed to me my parents let me open it as we all sat around the kitchen table. This strange letter was from a Professor Minerva McGonagall, it told me that I was a witch and that I would go to a special school that taught magic called Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry.

"For six years the slamming of a screen door when it was opened meant either I had come in or Kevin had, depending on who's house you were at. We had stopped knocking and had started just barging in about half a year after my parents and I had moved in across the street. I was so used to running directly across the street and straight into the Larosey's house, that I didn't give the letter a second glance after what it said had sunk in before I dashed across the street to tell Kevin.

"The second I got over there I yelled out his name. But, instead of hearing his feet running down the stairs I heard his mum walk over from the kitchen. She asked me what I wanted and I told her I had something really important to tell Kevin. She gave me this 'poor you, I'm so sorry' look and told me he was _still_ in the hospital. That was when I realized I hadn't seen Kevin in almost two weeks. You must think that I was such a bad best friend if I didn't notice him missing, but I truly hadn't, and I _was _a bad best friend for those two weeks. Every time I had told Mum I was going over to Kevin's house she had called me back and come up with somewhere we both had to be. I never questioned her then, I whined about it a bit but it never occurred to me that I should ask if I could stay with Kevin while she went out, something we had done often before, but I never thought about it during those two weeks.

"Anyways, I asked Mrs. Larosey if she would drive me to the hospital so I could see him and be there to tell him my news as soon as he woke up. She said yes, called my mum, talked to her for a few minutes, telling her where we were going and then drove me to the hospital, it was called St. Mary's Hospital. Whoever St. Mary was I don't think she liked brunettes very much. Mrs. Larosey came in with me, showed me where Kevin's room was and then left, saying she had to talk to some of the doctor's taking care of him. I remember skipping into the hospital room, still overjoyed by the fact that I was a witch, standing next to his bed and telling him to wake up. When it became apparent that he wasn't about to wake up just because I told him so I sat down in the chair to wait, it only took a few hours before I was bored enough to do nothing but fall asleep.

"And then-this-this is where the nightmare part happens. It starts out with the normal memory of when I woke up; I was still sitting in Kevin's room in the hospital and I remember-I remember still being so _happy_ about being a witch that nothing else really mattered. It didn't _really_ matter that the best friend I'd had for more than half my life was lying on a hospital bed because he was going to wake up. _He was going to wake up._ It was a _given_. It was for _sure_. Kevin was going to wake up so he could come with me to Diagon Alley and look through as many spellbooks with me as we possibly could. I never _once_- It didn't-The thought never _once _occurred to me that Kevin might die, that there was even the _slightest_ chance of Kevin dying, because he simply _had_ to wake up.

"But then I heard some of the doctors talking to a couple I couldn't really see clearly out in the hallway. I felt _so_ bad and _so_ sorry for them because the doctors were telling them that the person they were here to see probably wouldn't make it. Probably wouldn't live. I didn't realize the people they were talking to were the Larosey's until Mrs. Larosey said something like 'my poor baby' and I recognized her voice. That was when I realized that they were talking about Kevin. That they were saying _Kevin_ might not make it. I changed what I was saying from 'You _have_ to wake up!' to 'You _can't_ die!'

"Apparently he could die, because, well, he _did_ die. The funny thing, or at least somewhat funny thing, as funny as funny could possibly be in that situation, is that when the heart monitor just let out one long beep and stopped I was kind of grateful, the loud beeping every two seconds was getting on my nerves and so I saw the end of the beeping as something good. It took me another minute or so before what it actually _was_ sunk in. At the time I hadn't realized that the beeping machine was a heart monitor.

"Anyways, all the doctors ran in with Mr. and Mrs. Larosey right behind them. The doctors checked some things over on Kevin and pronounced him dead. I can still remember perfectly how _loud_ Mrs. Larosey's sob was.

"In the real memory that's how it ends. Mrs. Larosey keeps crying, Mr. Larosey thanks the doctors, everyone takes a last look at Kevin and Mr. and Mrs. Larosey take me home.

"In the nightmare, though, we're all still in the hospital room when, all of a sudden, Kevin sits up like he's perfectly healthy. I'm so happy but incredibly shocked too, and even though I _want _to tell all of the adults, because it looks like they haven't noticed yet, I can't, I'm too much in shock. Then he-he starts talking, he keeps telling me that his death is my fault. He-he had a kind of heart virus where it would eventually kill him, so, he needed a heart transplant, the doctors thought they had a bit more time to find one than they actually did so they were taking it pretty slow.

"When he sits up, in the nightmare, he keeps telling me that it's _my_ fault he's dead, that I should have _willingly_ given up my own life and my own heart to save his. I know-I know that's not true, that it _isn't _my fault but in the dream it's so _real_ and I feel so _scared_ and so_ guilty_. I can never wake up, from the nightmare, until it's all played out 'till the end. That's the worst part, the few times that I realize it's not true, that I'm fifteen and not ten, that Kevin's already dead, that it's not my fault _at all_, I still can't wake up. It _hurts. _It hurts all the time.

"And so, after he died, I dedicated almost every little thing I did to him, to make him proud of me. I bought Crookshanks. I read a lot and studied until I had every word practically memorized because he would always boast that he was smarter than me, he was a year older and therefore a year ahead of me in school, and that the day I was smarter than him would be when I was a genius and then he'd be able to call himself 'Best Friend Of Youngest Genius In A Millennia' and he'd be all proud. It's why I cried when Ron said, in our first year, that I was a nightmare and that it was no wonder that I didn't have any friends because I _did_ have a friend, I _had_ had a friend but he had died a little over two months before.

"The nightmare is what I saw in the trunk the boggart was in during our 3rd year finals and I screamed, I screamed because, even though it was just a boggart it was still _real _and it was the first time I had experienced, actually experienced every little detail, when I was awake and conscious and not asleep. So I screamed, I couldn't tell everyone what I _really_ saw because I hadn't told anyone about Kevin so I made something up, I told them it was Professor McGonagall telling me that I had failed all of my classes.

"I didn't really trust anyone after Kevin died, when your ten it's easy to use logic that says because one person you loved and trusted completely died, than everyone and anyone you love and trust will die too and leave you alone to suffer and fend for yourself. I know it sounds stupid and I know it _is _stupid but when I was ten and almost depressed it made sense, and part of me has never let go of that, even all these years later.

"And so here I am, pouring my heart out to someone I barely know and who now has the power to completely ruin my life…by telling."

Somewhere during my story I had gone from telling it in a slightly monotonous voice to silently crying when I spoke, which is when Sirius pulled me into his lap and held me.

"I won't tell, I promised. I promise" was whispered into my hair and I felt somewhat safe in trusting another person for the first time in years.

"I promise."

Grabbing on to that rare feeling of safety I let my drowsiness wash over me and slowly fell into a light sleep with a comforting hand rubbing circles on my back.

I woke up about an hour later when Sirius started talking to me.

"Hermione?"

"Mmm?"

"Are you awake?"

"I am now. Why?"

"Can I tell you a story?"

Could he tell me a story? Of course he could, I had told him about Kevin, there weren't really any other big secrets that I kept. I had to trust him completely if I had told him about Kevin, which obviously meant I trusted him enough to have him tell me a story. Right?

"'Course you can tell me a story." I mumbled, still somewhat sleepy.

"This story is about the friend I had in 7th year that you remind me so much of."

"I remind you of a friend?"

"Yes, she was one of my best friends in my 7th year, even if she only stayed at Hogwarts for a month. Her name was Mya."

"Mya?"

"Uh huh, Mya."

"My _grandmother_ used to call me her 'Little Mya'"

"Well this Mya was my best friend, even if only for a short while, I trusted her, and with a family like mine the only people you trust _are_ your best friends. She came to Hogwarts when I was 17. She and Lily were the only girls I could sit down and have a conversation with them that didn't have any sexual innuendos. See, sadly, my wonderful charms didn't work on either of them."

I let out a short laugh.

"One night, about a month after she had come to the school I went up to my dorm room and found a note on my bed. It was from Mya and it said that she had to leave but that I should look for someone like her in a few years and that when she came back and I saw her, she would tell me everything."

"I still have the note," he added as an afterthought.

"Did you ever see her again?"

"Uh huh, but she doesn't know me yet."

"That makes _no_ sense."

"It will, in time."

"Great, another cryptic adult." I muttered back sarcastically. He chuckled softly before responding.

"You've seen her too."

"Really?" This came as a shock to me; I could've sworn that I had never met someone named Mya, well, someone that I could remember anyways. "When?"

"Oh, quite a while back actually." Oh, maybe that was why I couldn't remember her.

"You should meet her again in about a year."

"I will?" Another shocking piece of news. How would he know anyways?

"Yup, you will." Okay.

"So, what was she like?"

"She was very pretty, very funny, very smart, and very nice, except the first day she came when she slapped me and yelled at me for trying to feel up her shirt, _no_ girl besides Lily had ever done that to me before."

I smiled a little. "I like her already."

Another short laugh, "I expect you will, you remind me of her a lot."

"Of course, afterwards I apologized to her-"

"And then you became best friends?" I interrupted him.

"Yup," he confirmed, "and then we became friends."

"Promise something?"

"What?" he asked.

"That you won't try to feel up _my _shirt."

Full-blown laughter. It was actually kind of nice. It was the first semi-joke I had made in 5 years and it was nice to hear someone laugh at it. It was only when we heard a spring creak in one of the beds upstairs, signaling that someone was awake, that he stopped slowly.

"I promise." We sat quietly for another few minutes before he spoke again.

"Hey Mione?"

Mione? Where'd _that_ come from?

"Yeah?"

"You know you can call me Sirius, right?"

"Yeah, Sirius, I know."

"Good. We better get back upstairs if we want any sleep before Molly wakes everyone up at nine."

He let go of me and I slid out of his warm embrace and onto the floor to grab my mug. When I stood back up I looked at him and felt compelled to say something. Something to the person I now trusted unconditionally.

"Hey, Sirius?" I started softly.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks. For listening." I gave him a small smile before "And remember your promises, ok?"

"Of course, Mione, of course."

He stood up and hugged me again. I hugged back slightly before stepping away.

"Good night."

"Good morning."

I laughed lightly at his response and headed to the kitchen to put my mug in the sink and then went back up to the room I shared with Ginny.

I snuggled back under the covers and slowly fell into a nightmare free sleep. You know, maybe this trusting thing isn't so hard. Maybe it just hurts a little in the beginning.


	3. 2:The Second Talk And New Year

Eulogizing Memoirs

Amelie Rae Lanhoss

**[A/N-Review responses, again, in my bio. This chapter is dedicated to darkess-knight and Hiril Narwain who reviewed _both _chapters, and, as always, in loving memory, to K.M.L.**

** -C.R.C.]**

Chapter 2-The Second Talk And New Year

"Hermione!"

I woke up later that same morning of my first talk with Sirius to Ginny shaking me gently.

"Wha?" I answered groggily, stretching in my bed as I got ready to get out of bed for the rest of the day.

"You have to see, well, _hear _them! They're so funny!"

I looked at her confused.

"Ginny, take a deep breath, remember that I've just now woken up, tell me what time it is, and start over."

Ginny glanced over my shoulder from her crouched position by my bed.

"It's still a bit too early to get up," she admitted slowly, "but you just _have_ to see them!"

"Let me remind you again Gin, I've _just_ gotten up. Now, who do I have to see?"

"Lupin and Sirius, they're-"

"_Professor_ Lupin, Ginny." I reminded her out of habit while I slid out of bed on the other side.

"Right, right, well he and Sirius are making breakfast in the kitchen and, oh, you just _have _to see them!"

"Alright, alright," I mumbled sleepily as I somewhat stumbled to where she now stood.

"Come _on_," she said impatiently, grabbing my arm and dragging me out of the room. Once we reached the hallway it was all I could do to _not_ trip over my own feet.

"What're they doing anyway, Gin?" I asked, much more awake now.

"You'll see, come _on_, and keep quiet."

We crept down the stairs silently before she motioned to stop and listen as we reached the last step. I peered around the corner and into the kitchen, mimicking what Ginny was doing. Inside the first thing I saw was that Professor Lupin had a hand on the table and was shaking with laughter. The reason soon became clear, Sirius had charmed a few waffles; making them walk, well actually, _dance_ on little legs that looked to be made from Twizzlers. He had tango music playing for the waffles to dance to and was now pretending to make the waffles talk.

"Oh Mr. Waffle!" he started in an extremely high-pitched voice, "You're _such_ a good tango dancer! And you have _so many _squares!"

"Why thank you, Mrs. Waffle, thank you very much," he answered himself in a very low Elvis-Presley-sounding voice.

Ginny and I both burst out laughing, it truly was hilarious.

"Why Mr. Waffle," Sirius said, reverting back to the high-pitched voice, "I _do_ believe someone is hiding and marveling at our wonderful dancing."

Ginny and I, leaning a little on each other for support and still laughing a bit, walked into the kitchen. We both sat down in chairs across from Professor Lupin and continued laughing and watching Sirius as he proceeded to charm even more waffles. A floating bag of M&M's came out of a cupboard and gave the newly charmed waffles eyes.

By the time Mrs. Weasley had come down to make breakfast for everyone Professor Lupin, Ginny, and I had our feet tucked under us while Sirius was sitting on the counter and had almost the whole kitchen floor covered in waltzing waffles.

"Sirius Black! Remus Lupin! Hermione Granger! Ginevra Weasley!"

Sirius swished his wand and we all watched as the music stopped abruptly and the waffles dropped, scattering M&M's, waffle and Twizzler pieces, all across the floor.

"_Honestly_, I'm ashamed at _all_ of you! You're supposed to be an _adult _Sirius! Not a five-year old child who somehow got hold of his father's wand!"

"Because, of course, every five-year old kid can charm waffles to waltz with each other."

"Hermione Granger!"

_Damnit. _Okay Granger, open mouth insert foot. Seriously, when did I take out the filter between my brain and my mouth?

"Sorry Mrs. Weasley," I mumbled quietly while Ginny and Professor Lupin stifled laughs. Sirius looked curiously at all of us, I guess he didn't hear me.

"You know what, I blame _you _Sirius Black, and _you_ Remus Lupin for corrupting my only daughter and your godson's best friend so much that they think this is funny!" Mrs. Weasley yelled shrilly.

"Sorry Molly," Sirius and Professor Lupin said in unison, though neither of them looked particularly sorry about the morning's kitchen joke.

"Now out! All of you!"

Amidst a chorus of 'yes Molly's, 'yes Mum's, and 'yes Mrs. Weasley's the four of us made it out of the kitchen and directly ran into Fred and George coming down the stairs, still in their pajamas.

"And don't any of you _dare_ come back until you are dressed!"

Fred and George promptly turned around and fell in step with us as we all made our way back up the stairs.

"What'd you guys _do_?" Fred asked eagerly.

"Yeah," George continued, "I don't think Mum's _ever_ been that mad at anyone-"

"Except for us-" interjected Fred.

"Before," George finished for the both of them.

"Sirius charmed candy pieces to attach themselves to waffles and them he charmed the waffles to waltz with each other, he had them _all_ over the kitchen floor!" Ginny told them excitedly.

"Wicked!" They exclaimed together.

"You just _have_-"

"_Have_ to show us-"

"Just _how_-"

"You used that charm-"

"It was-"

"Bloody awesome-"

"Wicked incredible!"

And with that Fred and George each took one of Sirius' arms and proceeded to march him towards their room. When they reached the door George dragged an amused looking Sirius in while Fred turned back to us for a second.

"You three should come see us sometime too, especially you and Hermione, Ginevra dearie, now that you've both been corrupted properly," Fred told us before closing the door loudly behind him, abruptly cutting off George's excited chatter.

Professor Lupin, Ginny, and I exchanged looks before snickering quietly and turning to head to our own rooms down the hall.

"Oh and by the way-"

We looked back to see George's head sticking out from behind the door.

"Harry and Ron were thinking about having a water gun fight, whatever that is, and were wondering if you had enough muggle money to buy the stuff from what your parents gave you, Hermione. Harry said you would know what stuff he was talking about."

"I do know what he's talking about," I answered him slowly, mentally counting the money left in my trunk down the hall, "and I should have enough money, I kept most of the money my parents gave me as a gift for the end of the year because I was planning on exchanging it at Gringotts, as long as no one buys the really elaborate ones I'll have enough."

"Really elaborate _what's_?" Ginny asked before George interrupted.

"Great!"

* * *

We had already picked teams, Professor Lupin, Sirius, Ginny, and Ron against Harry, George, Fred, and I. Professor Lupin and the twins were supposed to be buying water guns for everyone with the muggle money I had gotten from my parents a couple of months ago as an end-of-the-school-year gift. Originally Fred and George had wanted to go alone but no one thought it fair for the muggle world to unleash the Weasley twins on it.

Muffled laughter made it's way to the backyard where Sirius, Ginny, and Ron stood on one side while Harry and I stood on the other. Seconds later Remus came out with two huge shopping bags, shortly followed by the Fred and George who were whispering excitedly over the contents of a small plastic bag.

"Oi!" Ron yelled, "What do you two have in there?"

"Nothing you should worry your pretty little head about Ickle Ronniekins." Fred answered before muttering something to George and heading over to me.

"What do you guys have in the bag?" I asked warily as all of us but Fred watched George walk back into the house.

"Nothing, nothing," he said dismissively as he handed me some money, "your muggle change, Hermione dear, and an extra two Galleons for George and I's unpredicted, ah… _extra-curricular _purchase."

On the other side of the yard I could see Professor Lupin's form shaking with barely suppressed laughter, he seems to be doing that a lot today.

"Okay Moony, out with it," Sirius said as he was handed a particularly large water gun, "what did they get?"

"Sorry, Padfoot, old buddy, I made a promise not to tell."

I glanced up from where I had been putting the money (under a lawn chair and a towel so it wouldn't get wet) in order to see how he would react. Instead of pushing Remus to tell, like I'm sure most people there expected him to he instead said simply, "A promise is a promise," before switching back to his normal jovial mood and asking how he was supposed to get the water gun to shoot water at whoever he wanted.

"I wonder why he didn't make Remus tell him." Harry questioned quietly beside me.

"Because he's keeping his promise." I breathed out with a strange sense of relief washing over me. I had guessed he hadn't told anyone about all that I had said last night when everyone acted normal around me at breakfast but now I'm even surer. Unless I _didn't _hallucinate Professor Lupin's quick look in my direction when Sirius said that. God I hope I imagined that.

"What'd you say?" Harry asked me, looking confused as I dragged myself out of my musings.

"I said 'because he's keeping his promise'," I answered him, feeling somewhat emboldened with the knowledge that it had indeed been alright to trust Sirius.

Harry looked at me strangely and as if he wanted to say something. Before, though, that he could do anything but open his mouth Fred and George were handing us our water guns and telling us to get ready, each of them holding their own bazooka water gun.

"The rules of the war are simple," Professor Lupin yelled over to us.

"Yeah, unlike the ones for the war with Voldemort," I muttered quietly so that only Fred, George and Harry heard me. Fred and George immediately let out quiet snickers. Harry, on the other hand, was just looking at me strangely again, not used; I'm sure, to the normal Hermione who made snarky comments while other people were talking.

Professor Lupin ignored the quiet laughter coming from Fred and George on our side of the yard and continued with the rules.

"There _can_ be more than one person shooting _water_," here he looked pointedly at Fred and George who pretended to innocently not notice as they were still quieting down, "at another person, there will _only _be water flying," another pointed glance, "you _can't _physically_ hit_ someone with your water gun," pointed glance number three, "and, finally, you _can't _turn _off _the hose. Well, is everyone clear?"

After receiving some sort of affirmation from each of us he shot water in a clear arc upwards as he yelled, "Let the war begin!"

Harry and I, both having been raised the muggle way and having taken part in a few water fights already (or watched them from inside as Harry had most likely been forced to do) we both ran to take control of the hose. We were about halfway there when Ron and Ginny soaked Harry from both sides, causing him to stop dead in his tracks and trying desperately to get the water off his glasses.

Meanwhile, near the back of the yard Fred and George were facing off with Sirius and Professor Lupin. It was kinda cool because it sort of looked like one of those movies made where two really bad guys face off, like _Alien Vs. Predator _or _Freddy Vs. Jason_, only if it had been a movie it probably would've been called something like _The Remaining Marauders Vs. The Weasley Twins _and _that _would probably be _much_ more terrifying than _Freddy Vs. Jason_ for sure.

Leaving Harry to fend for himself I sprinted across the rest of the distance to the hose. Picking it up I dropped my water gun, uncoiled a large part of it, and headed back to save Harry from the, as he will no doubt put it later, 'very evil clutches' of Ron and Ginny. _Honestly,_ and the whole bloody world thinks _he's_ the hero. Sneaking up behind Ron I put my thumb in front of the hose to make it spray. Unfortunately Ginny, who had been standing on Harry's other side, facing Ron and also with a perfect view of me yelled at him to duck, which, in the end, left me soaking an already wet Harry who was starting to look homicidal. I quickly put my thumb down, resulting in the water falling in a gentle downward arc again (and, ironically enough, hitting Ron's back, causing him to give a girlish yelp at the temperature, which is what I had originally planned on. Minus, of course, the very girly shriek, though I will consider that a bonus).

"Oops," was the only condolence I could offer Harry.

"New rule," he yelled loud enough so that everyone would stop, "There _are no_ teams, every man and Hermione for themselves," he finished with a murderous glint in his eyes.

Sirius and Professor Lupin cheered from the other side of the backyard before turning on one another and spraying each other.

"Hey!" Ginny exclaimed indignantly with both hands on her hips, "what about me?" before she was sprayed by all three of her brothers. She let out a surprised shriek before turning on Ron, making both Fred and George follow her lead.

Harry turned towards me with his squirt gun raised.

"Now, Harry," I started, slowly backing away with the hose, "don't do anything you might regret later, remember who helps you with your homework at school?"

He let out a sort of strangled war cry and immediately started spraying me. I let out a small shriek when the cold water first hit me before I turned my head and started soaking him with the hose again.

"Everyone against Hermione!" he yelled.

There was another loud cheer as everyone came running towards us.

"Harry!" I screamed before I started to be soaked on all sides. Keeping the hose in spray I moved it in a circle, slowly backing up at the same time. I couldn't really see anything but judging by some of the 'ahs' made I'm pretty sure I sprayed almost everyone. I took another step backwards and ran into something very hard and solid. There was a few seconds paused in the spray coming at me before…

"We backed her into a wall!" I heard Fred yell triumphantly, another loud cheer followed his announcement.

"Nooooo!" I yelled back in mock desperation.

The spraying started again and I shrieked.

"Okay! Okay! I surrender!"

"Wooohooo!" Harry whooped happily, "Hermione finally lost at something!" Loud laughter erupted after Harry's yells while I opened my eyes.

"Hey!" Now it was my turn to sound indignant, "That's not nice!"

I sprayed Harry again and ran off with him chasing me. Through the cheers of the others behind us I could make out Sirius' joyful shout of "And the war continues!"

* * *

"Pawn to E4."

"Queen to E4."

"Crap, um, knight to…to…to F7."

Once again today Ginny, Fred, George, Sirius, Professor Lupin, Ron, Harry, and I were together; five of us watching Ron and Harry play their 4th chess game of the night while Sirius was in the kitchen getting everyone drinks. Harry was, as usual, losing very badly.

"Castle to E8."

"Drinks all around!" Sirius called, coming in with an antique-looking silver tray. He handed each of us a drink and then went back to sit down with Professor Lupin on another couch.

I looked at the steaming mug in my hands before taking a cautious sip.

"Mmmmm," I moaned softly, closing my eyes and savoring the taste.

_Hot Chocolate._

I opened my eyes to see Sirius watching me with a small smile; I shot him a grateful one and took another sip.

"Checkmate. I win."

Harry let out an aggravated sigh and started picking up his pieces, "I'm beat; I'm going to bed."

"Yeah, me too," Ron added.

"We have some things to take care of-"

"Before, of course-"

"We see you leave for school tomorrow-"

"Good night."

After we told them all good night Ginny, Professor Lupin, Sirius, and I sat in a comfortable silence that lasted all of maybe four or five minutes.

"I'm going to finish packing and then go to sleep," Ginny announced.

"Night, Gin."

"Good night."

"Sleep well, Ginny."

"Have a good night everyone," she said before waving slightly and disappearing around the corner.

A few minutes later Professor Lupin stood up to say his good night's also.

"Night, Moony."

"Have a good night Professor."

He smiled slightly at me, "Call me Remus, Hermione."

"Have a good night, er, Remus, sir."

He laughed softly, "Well, at least it's a start. I'll see you two in the morning."

Sirius motioned me over to his couch, the same one we had sat on in front of the dying fire early this morning. Standing uncertainly I made my way over and sat with my feet up like during our first real conversation.

"Like the hot chocolate?" he asked smiling.

"Yes," I replied softly, somewhat shy because of how much more he knew about me than anyone else, "very much so, thank you."

"Your welcome," he started, still smiling, "you should get to have a peaceful night's sleep in the last night of summer vacation," then, frowning lightly at my still somewhat nervous demeanor, "You know I won't hurt you, right?"

"I know you won't." _Not on purpose._ I wanted to add.

Still looking skeptical at my answer he brought his feet up and mimicked my pose again.

"I would never hurt you on purpose _or_ accidentally, if I could help it."

"I know," I said again, though a bit more reassured this time, "So what big, long, emotional conversation are we going to have tonight?" I asked jokingly.

My question had the desired effect because he laughed before answering, "Well, I'd rather _not _talk about Azkaban or trusting Pettigrew," he said seriously, his face contorting to a picture of rage for a split second when he mentioned Pettigrew, before adding in a more cheerful tone, "so unless you have another nightmare to talk about, and you _can_ tell me by the way, I wouldn't mind telling more stories about Mya."

For a moment I was tempted to push him to talk about Azkaban or Pettigrew, I had after all, told him about Kevin, the most painful subject for me, before I decided against it, hopefully he trusted me, at least a little, and he'd tell me eventually, for now though…

"Why Sirius," I said in a teasing tone, wondering at just _how_ our relationship had changed so much in 36 hours, "did you perhaps have a little _crush_ on this Mya?"

"No!" he said, quickly and blushing, "We were just _friends_!"

"You're blushing!" I accused him incredulously, I had never seen a guy over the age of 25 blush before, and even then my cousin only blushed because his Greek grandmother, who speaks very little grammatically correct English, kept telling his future in-laws just how _romantic_ his proposal to their daughter had been, when, in fact, it had happened not two hours earlier in front of everyone at a fancy restaurant. "I can't believe you're actually blushing!"

"I am not!" he retorted, "Do you want to hear the story, or not?"

"Of course I want to hear the story, you brought me hot chocolate, which, in my logic, means you're the greatest and you deserve to rule the world."

He laughed at this for a minute before settling down.

"This is a quick funny story," he informed me, "it happened on the second Monday night of term. Now, Mya and Lily were more alike than just the fact that they could both have conversations with me minus any sexual innuendos; they were also both very, _very _smart and slightly obsessed with grades, well, from my 17-year old point of view anyway, and they both wanted all of us to start studying for our N.E.W.T's in September of our seventh year. Remus was the only one of us they could convince to study with them more than one night a week as James, Peter, and I did.

"Anyways, on that Monday she had seemed pretty restless all day and no one knew _why_ or _quite_ how to go about asking her if anything was wrong. We, her and I, had been paired up on Friday of last week for a Herbology project. Professor Sprout said we would have to come down and check on our plants _at least_ once a day though it would probably be better if we took care of them _twice_ a day.

"It was about an hour after supper in the Great Hall when she dragged me out of the common room to go see our plant. I have to admit that I kept complaining about how she had dragged me away from my friends until about halfway there when we heard Snape and a few other members of the group he sometimes hung out with talking and coming towards us, she pulled me behind a knight's armor statue and covered my mouth with her hand when I opened it to talk. She told me to keep quiet and then peered around the statue with her wand in hand. About a minute later she mumbled a spell I couldn't quite hear, the next thing I heard was a loud 'what the fuck Snape!'

"She tried to hide her grin from me before she motioned me to look out too. She had somehow jinxed Snape so that he was wearing only a fluffy pink towel around his waist and a pink flowery bathing cap. He was also holding a rubber duck and singing 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat' It was completely hilarious, I half expected soapy brushes to come at him. Our laughter, though, was how the other Slytherins caught us, we ended up running the rest of the way to the greenhouse."

By now Sirius and I were both shaking with laughter.

"I-I can just imagine," I started, mentally picturing my Potions professor in nothing but a fluffy pink towel and bathing cap, singing a children's nursery rhyme.

It took us almost ten minutes to calm down.

"Even though Mya only stayed for a month I could tell you _tons _of stories about her, me, Lily, James, Remus, and Peter and all the funny, and sometimes stupid, stunts we pulled…Anyways, you almost done with your hot chocolate?"

I looked down at what was left and took a huge gulp, "Yup!"

"Then we better head upstairs, there isn't much point in drinking something that keeps away nightmares if you don't even sleep."

I mock saluted him, "Yes, _sir._"

He laughed again and I joined in for a minute before standing up.

"Good night, Sirius."

"Night, My-Mione darling."

I gave him a bit of a startled look before turning back towards the stairs, his words repeating in my head.

_Night, My-Mione darling._


	4. 3:Birthday Surprises And Not So Surprisi...

Eulogizing Memoirs

Amelie Rae Lanhoss

**[A/N-Review responses-bio, as always. This chapter is dedicated to The Dark One Reborn, who took the time to go back and review all the chapters, and, as always, in loving memory, to K.M.L.**

** -C.R.C.]**

Chapter 3-Birthday Surprises And Not So Surprising

September 19, 1996, today, was my 16th birthday.

Walking down the corridor of mainly unused classrooms that stretched from the courtyard door to the Entrance Hall, I absentmindedly trailed the tips of my fingers against the wall. I honestly _don't _know _why_ Ron thinks I'm going to like a surprise birthday party. Technically, I shouldn't know about it yet since it _is _supposed to be a surprise, but Ginny let it slip last night when we were flipping through back issues of different magazines in the library. One thing about Ginny is that if you put an issue of _Witch Weekly_ in front of her she'll completely forget just _whom_ she's talking to. Last night she started chatting about how she really thinks that Ron should add more colors to the decorations than just red and gold. It took me about two minutes before I realized she was talking about _my_ surprise party. When Ginny remembered whom she was talking to after she looked up from her magazine she immediately tried to back pedal but it was a bit too late for that. I ended up agreeing to pretend I'm surprised as long as she told me the rest so I could prepare myself for the humiliation, they will, no doubt, heap on me in large quantities, in advance.

_A gold paper crown._

They're going to make me wear a gold, paper crown, a-la-Burger-King-style, with the words 'The Birthday Girl' on it. Everyone in all of Gryffindor is supposed to know about this party and dress in red and gold. Apparently this was Ron's idea, I am _so _going to torture him come March. Would it truly have been bad to, instead, have people dress in my _favorite_ colors instead of my house colors? Honestly, what's so bad about blue and green and maybe black? Oh well.

What else did she say was going to happen? Oh yes, the cake. There's going to be a huge sheet cake, it should be enough for _every_ Gryffindor to have _three_ pieces, with the icing saying 'Hermione Granger-16 years old-Future Head Girl-Future Mistress Of Magic'. I think it's chocolate. _Chocolate._ The only time I like chocolate is in hot chocolate and the occasional piece of fudge from Honeydukes.

I'm supposed to dance, too, I guess that will be the only good part to the whole thing. Hopefully no one let Colin pick the music again, I don't know _what_ Angelina was thinking, letting him pick the music for last year's Quidditch Cup Winning party, but it was a complete disaster.

At this point I am seriously considering 'borrowing' Harry's cloak right before lunch and just hiding under it somewhere after classes so they can't find me and drag me back to the common room to 'help with homework'. Unfortunately I promised Ginny that I wouldn't avoid it on top of promising to look surprised. I have no idea _how_ I'm going to pull that off, seeing as I'm completely dreading the whole affair anyway.

Here's the Great Hall and Ron and Harry are waiting for me at the doors, like usual. I had almost forgotten Ginny said part of the plan to surprise me was pretending that everything is normal and it _isn't _my birthday. I still don't understand _why_ they decided to plan me a surprise party, after the 5 years we've been best friends even the most unobservant person would realize I never do anything special for my birthday except receive a cupcake and 15 or so galleons worth of muggle money from my parents. Unfortunately the only answer Ginny would give to this was 'if you haven't noticed by now, _I'm_ not going to tell you'. The problem with _that_ is, noticed what?

"Sleep well, Hermione?"

"Yes, thanks, and you guys?" This is a bit strange, why _wouldn't _I sleep well? Sirius wouldn't have told.

"Great."

"Yeah, just great, let's go in," and with that Harry pushed open the doors.

The three of us sat in our usual spots, between the middle of the table and the seats closest to the Head Table, and started piling food onto our plates.

"Ew, Ron! That's disgusting! Chew with your mouth closed!" For once, I was not the one to say that, Ginny was.

"Hey Gin, what's up?" Harry asked her.

"Oh nothing much," she said nervously, "just making sure Hermione remembers her promises."

"Yes, yes, I won't forget Ginny," I muttered depressively.

Harry looked quizzically at both of us, "What promise?"

"Oh, nothing big," Ginny told him, still sounding nervous, "just this girl thing, well I gotta go." She quickly stood up and moved back to where Parvati and Lavender were sitting.

Harry looked quizzically at me again.

"You know, Hermione, you've kinda been acting strange all year, ever since the water fight at Snuffles' house."

I wrinkled my forehead, confused, "Strange?"

"Yeah, like-"

I didn't get to find out how I'd been acting strange because the post had arrived and everyone was busy looking at three owls holding an envelope, a large box, and a smaller box stacked on top of the other. To my surprise the owls landed in front of me. Glad I hadn't taken a plate yet I untied one owl from the small stack of boxes while I nodded at Harry to untie the other owl. The third had just dropped its envelope and left. After watching the other two owls fly away I reached for the light blue envelope and opened it.

The envelope jumped out of my hands and hovered about five feet above the table. There was a second's pause during which I was showered in light blue and green confetti before-

"Happy birthday to you-"

"Cha-cha-cha-"

"Frederick Weasley you're _ruining_ her birthday card!"

"Happy birthday to you-"

"Cha-cha-cha-"

"George! I'm _sure _Hermione has _never _ruined _your_ birthday card!"

"Happy birthday dear-"

"Cha-cha-cha-"

"There's no cha-cha-cha _there_ Tonks!"

"Oops, sorry!"

"Dear Hermione-"

"Is there a cha-cha-cha here?"

"Cha-cha-cha!"

"Yes-"

"Happy birthday to you-"

"Ok Tonks, say it-"

"Cha-cha-cha!"

"Everyone together now-"

"Happy 16th Hermione!"  
"And…cut."

I couldn't help laughing at my birthday card. It had sounded like a good part of the Order had been singing, minus the cha-cha-cha's from just Fred, George, and Tonks. I could definitely pick out Mr. and Mrs. Weasley's voices along with Sirius and Remus, I'm guessing Remus restrained Sirius from adding any cha-cha-cha's, the somewhat slurred voice of Mundungus Fletcher, Kingsley Shacklebolt's voice, Mad-Eye Moody's, Professors McGonagall and Dumbledore, Hagrid's, and, I think, Bill Weasley. It sounded like it was more than that but I couldn't tell who else had helped make it.

Everyone in the Great Hall was staring at our table, and, I'm sure, wondering if I had gone insane because of my laughter over the letter. I will forever be grateful to the Headmaster, who, at that moment, decided to stand up and say "And with those prompting words, may I entice you all in joining me as I wish Miss Hermione Granger a _very_ happy birthday."

That seemed to break the ice and everyone was soon joining in the laughter. With a huge smile on my face that I couldn't seem to suppress I moved the smaller box off the larger one, slit the tape on the lid of the box with my fingernails and pushed it up.

"Whoa."

Surprisingly that came from Harry, I'm too much in shock to say anything. A normal sized sheet cake sat in the box in front of me. It was covered in blue frosting, but, the squiggly lines of frosting along the edge of the cake, and the frosting flowers that were sitting on each corner of the cake, were green. As were the words 'Happy 16th Mione, Darling'. I can't believe it. I can't fucking believe it.

To add to my extremely pleasant surprise the envelope dropped down next to me revealing a birthday card inside and dropping out a small bouquet of green and yellow dyed carnations that grew to normal size by itself. I skipped the picture on the front of the card and flipped to the inside. There were the usual clichéd messages of 'wishing you a happy birthday' and 'hope you enjoy your birthday' and, at the bottom, the one from the person I had been looking for.

Dear Mione,

Hope you're liking your birthday, and the cake. Guess what kind it is? I would've added a cha-cha-cha somewhere but REMUS WHO IS READING THIS OVER MY SHOULDER was being a party pooper _I am not!_ Are too Moony! And write your own message! Anyways, happy birthday, tell Harry I said hi, owl me if you need more of the stuff in the little box, or, owl me whenever you feel like it, and all that stuff.

All my best,

Padfoot _and Moony!_

Harry nudged me in the side, pulling me out of my shock.

"What?" I ask him, barely turning my head in his direction and still staring at the cake and letter with a huge smile on my face.

"What kind of cake is it?"

I shrugged my shoulders and broke a tiny piece off with my fingers. I brought the piece to my mouth, tasted it, and smiled even more.

"Strawberry," I answered him with a giddy feeling of warmth and happiness growing in my stomach, "It's strawberry."

He snorted.

"What?" It was my turn to ask.

"Well they obviously don't know you very well."

"What makes you say that?" I asked, frowning a little bit, after all, what right did he have to tell me whether the person I trusted knew me or not.

"Because they would've given you your favorite kind of cake if they knew you at all."

"But strawberry _is_ my favorite," I smiled at him, a little confused.

"Oh, right, of-of course." He looked at me strangely, as if I had suddenly told him that I didn't _really _have just one head. Come to think of it Ron's looking pretty pale across the table too.

"What's with you guys?" I asked them, even more confused.

"Nothing, nothing," Harry said quickly, "So what's the other box?"

I slit the tape on the smaller box with my fingernails too and flipped the lid. I didn't know my smile could get any bigger, but apparently it can, now I _know_ I won't stop smiling all day.

"Well?"

"Hot chocolate," I told him grinning, "packets of 'Althea's Already Hot, Hot Chocolate'"

"Why would someone send you packets of hot chocolate when you can just get it from the kitchen's?"

_ Because he cares. Because he knows it helps keep away my nightmares. Because he knows that I _do_ have nightmares. Because it's the only thing I'll use almost daily that no one else will think of. Because I trusted him enough to tell him._

Before, though, I could come up with a _suitable_ answer to give to Harry the Headmaster came up to us.

"Happy birthday, again, Miss Granger."

"Thank you, sir."

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley."

He nodded at them in turn and then continued walking.

"Oh, and Miss Granger?"

"Yes, sir?"  
"He's a very good friend, Miss Granger, he planned it all and really does care about you. You are very lucky to have him, my dear."

"Thank you, sir," my smile grew a bit more; I _was_ extremely lucky to have someone to trust.

"And Miss Granger?" The twinkle in Professor Dumbledore's eyes increased ever so slightly.

"Yes, sir?"

"His birthday is on the 29th of October."

I smiled at this and filed it away for future reference.

"Thank you, sir."

Harry waited until Dumbledore was out of earshot before questioning me immediately.

"What was that all about? Who was he talking about? Who even _calls_ you 'Mione, darling'? What friend was he talking about?"

"It was nothing Harry, honestly, you act almost like you think you guys are my only friends! I'm off to the library, see you in Potions."

With that I left with my flowers, boxes, and the note, I cast a quick look at one of the windows as I was pushing open the doors and saw the reflection of Harry sitting with his jaw dropped open. Ron's still looking a bit pale, wonder what's up with him.

* * *

I was humming ABBA's 'Dancing Queen' to myself as I made my way out of the library and towards the staircase to the seventh floor with one of my birthday flowers pinned in my hair at the back of my head and a huge stack of books.

"There you are Hermione."

I raised an eyebrow at Ron. Why would he be looking for me? What was he up to?

"Yes, Ron," I said very slowly, "Here I am, what's up?"

"Oh nothing much," he said quickly, a little _too_ quickly, "heading back up to the common room?"

"Yes…"

"I'll walk with you, I'm heading there anyway."

I nodded slowly at Ron, giving him a bewildered look, what _was_ he up to? Oh, well, some of the giddiness of this morning is still in me and I can't really bring myself to care all that much.

As soon as we reached the portrait of the Fat Lady, Ron took my books out of my arms and into his.

"Allow me," he said while I just looked at him, confused, "Draco Dormiens."

The Fat Lady mouthed 'way to go' and winked at me, for some strange reason, before swinging open.

"Surprise!"

Fuck! I almost jumped out of my skin I was so scared for a second. _The party._ I had completely forgotten about the party. Everyone's laughing at my expression now, and dragging me further into the room; the entire room is, of course, all red and gold. Parvati and Lavender are hurrying forward now. Oh yes, the gold paper crown. One of them has bobby pins and is starting to pin it up while the other one is using some sort of charm that's straightening and then slightly curling my hair. I imagine it doesn't look half bad. _Please, please, please don't touch my flower._

There's a pile of presents on the other side of the table with the giant chocolate sheet cake (right, _that's_ why Harry and Ron went all pale this morning after I told them my favorite cake was strawberry), which is just as big as Ginny said. I grab a cup of what I'm _desperately_ hoping is butterbeer off another small table and mentally prepare myself for a _very _long night.

* * *

A few hours after the surprise-slash-_not _surprise of my life I was dancing with Dean Thomas to 'Spin Around' when Lavender Brown, with a blush worthy of an _extremely_ embarrassed Weasley, came up to us.

"Um…Hi! Uh…Dean."

Dean looked a bit startled to see her but covered it up.

"Hi…um, Lavender. I mean-hey Lavender, what's up?"

"Oh…um-nothing much, so-uh-would you like to dance…with me?"

"I-uh," here Dean gave me a look that plainly said 'I really, _really,_ like Lavender, please, _please,_ let me go dance with her'.

"Oh go on," I shooed them off with a wave of my hand.

"Thanks Mione!" Dean smiled at me and led Lavender off closer to the small stage the music was coming from.

I smiled back and turned to the drinks table, grabbing a butterbeer before I went off to find Ron and Harry.

Five minutes later I heard two familiar voices wafting to me through a scarlet curtain hung in front of the stairway to the boys dormitories.

"So you think I should ask her?"

Ask who what?

"Definitely, why wouldn't she say yes? Especially after this, way to go, by the way, Ron."

"Thanks, it _is _pretty good, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is, so are you gonna ask her tonight?"

"Yup, if I can get up the courage anyways."

"You're a Gryffindor, of _course_ you'll get up the courage, just think about being able to honestly say 'my girlfriend, Hermione Granger' and you'll get up the courage easily."

'My girlfriend, Hermione Granger'? Ron is _not _going to ask me to be his girlfriend, _no way_.

"God I can't wait to say that!"

Hell no!

Harry laughed, "you have to _ask_ her first, Ron, but she'll definitely say yes."

I most certainly will _not _say yes!

"I think I'll see if I can find her and ask now."

Hell _no!_

I quietly hurried off before they could come out and see me.

"_Ginny!_" I hissed when I found her. I motioned her frantically to a hidden corner behind a suit of armor.

"What's wrong?" she asked me.

"Ron's going to ask me to go out with him!" I told her.

"So he finally did it? Wait, why do you look freaked out and depressed? Shouldn't you be happy?"

I let myself get sidetracked for a minute, "hang on, you _knew_ he was going to ask me? And you didn't convince him to forget about it?"

"Why would I? Don't you-oh my god-you _don't, _do you? You don't love him as anything more than a friend, do you?"

"No, I _don't _like him as anything more than a best friend and surrogate brother. I _don't _want to date him! But I don't want to stop being friends either!"

Ginny looked shocked, "Oh god, Hermione, I am _so sorry_, I really thought you like-liked him. I kept telling him to go for it. Oh my god, what are you going to _do_?"

"I don't know! What the hell am I supposed to do!?"

"Wow Hermione, you just swore! I've _never _heard you swear before."

What the hell is wrong with Ginny? I'm on the verge pf having a nervous breakdown and all she says is 'wow, I've never heard you swear before'! Can't she _see_ I'm panicking?! I let out a frustrated moan that seemed to jerk Ginny back into the present.

"You have _no_ idea how bad I feel, Hermione!"

Wanna bet? Bet I've felt worse.

"I _really _don't know what to say!"

That makes two of us.

"Oh god, here's what we're going to do, you sort-of-avoid Ron,"

Sort-of-avoid? How do you 'sort-of-avoid' someone?

"And I'll try to talk him out of it,"

Brilliant, I really could _not _have come up with that on my own, I _really_ couldn't have.

"It might take awhile though."

Hal-lei-loo-ya.

"Well, at least one of us has something _resembling_ a plan," I told her moaning.

"It's an _excellent _plan, now cheer up, you're starting to sound like Moaning Myrtle," Ginny said, "And get lost," she added hurriedly, "Ron's coming this way."

"_Shit._"

* * *

"Let's play Truth Or Dare!" Ginny announced out of the blue, a few hours of dancing, sort-of-Ron-avoiding and cake-eating later, after mostly everyone but her and the majority of my year had gone up to bed.

Normally, I _hate _Truth Or Dare, but today, everything's different, _and_ there's no way Ron'll ask me to be his girlfriend with a group of people watching, another plus for Truth Or Dare.

"I'm game," I hear myself say, everyone stares at me in surprise for a beat, usually I just excuse myself whenever someone says that and go up to my dorm to do whatever, usually study or read something. Today, though, is different, it's my 16th birthday, I'm still giddy from the cake and present and card from this morning, chocolate cake didn't taste so bad after all, and I think someone may have spiked the butterbeer.

A minute later we were all sitting in a circle debating on who should get to ask first.

"I think _I _should," I announced, strangely feeling out of character, "since it is _my _birthday."

Everyone agreed and I debated quickly in my head who to ask what.

"Seamus," I said after a pause, _oh I hope he picks dare,_ "Truth or dare?"

"Dare," he responded, looking a little scared, I really do have to find a way to suppress my maniacal smiles.

"I dare you to slap Professor Snape's butt tomorrow as he walks up to the Head Table for breakfast and say 'ooh that's fine!'"

Everyone, but Seamus, is cracking up at this, imagining, I'm sure, what Professor Snape's reaction will be tomorrow. I honestly didn't know someone could go as pale as Seamus is without fainting. Seamus swallowed hard.

"Ok, I'll do it tomorrow, my turn, Ginny, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"Um…I don't really know any so…I guess…I dare you to…sing one of your best friends' favorite song."

She took a quick glance at me, _what're you thinking Ginny, you will definitely _not _sing my favorite song_, before, "do I have to say _who's _favorite song it is?"

"Uh, I guess not. Nope."

"Ok, this is one of my friends' favorite songs, it's a bit depressing, I think, but it's also kind of nice, I like the rhythm."

Ok Gin, sing it already.

"_You don't remember me but I, remember you, I lie awake and try so hard, not to think of you, but who, can, decide, what they dream, and dream I do, I believe in you, I'll give up everything just to find you, I have to be with you, to live, to breathe, you're taking over me, have you forgotten all I know, and all we had, you saw me mourning my love for you, and touched my hand, I knew you loved me then, I believe in you, I'll give up everything just to find you, I have to be with you, to live, to breathe, you're taking over me, I look in the mirror and see your eyes, if I go deep enough, so many things inside that, just like you, are taking over, I believe in you, I'll give up everything just to find you, I have to be with you, to live, to breathe, you're taking over me, I believe in you, I'll give up everything just to find you, I have to be with you, to live, to breathe, you're taking over me, taking over me, you're taking over me, taking over me, taking over me,_"

"Wow, that was _awesome_ Gin! I don't know who loves that song but you're an _incredible _singer!"

Ginny blushed, "thanks Seamus, ok, my turn!"

I can_not _believe she sung that, oh well, at least she didn't name names.

"Um…Hermione!"

Fuck.

"Truth or dare?"

_Truth or dare?_

You live once.

_ Truth or dare?_

Truth.


	5. 4:'Our First' Christmas

Eulogizing Memoirs

Amelie Rae Lanhoss

**[A/N-I apologize for the long wait, I was at a family reunion thingy in the middle of nowhere (Translation: No Internet Access)/turned Niagara Falls trip and only just got back, review responses _should be _in my bio by the end of the day, hopefully. I've also re-edited Chapter 3-Birthday Surprises And Not So Surprising; the only change worth mentioning is an added scene of Hermione eavesdropping on Ron and Harry at her party and a later conversation involving her and Ginny. Anyways, this chapter is dedicated to Captain Oblivious, who made me laugh by starting a tradition of 'tee hee's, and, as always, in loving memory, to K.M.L.**

** -C.R.C.]**

Chapter 4-'Our First' Christmas

_ …December 24th's are traditionally spent at my uncle Andy's house, celebrating with my dad's side of the family. December 25th's are traditionally spent at my aunt Laura's house, celebrating with my mum's side of the family. January 1st is traditionally spent with the Laporte's in the States, celebrating the New Year. I can barely remember a year that Mum, Dad, and I didn't spend the holidays like that, actually, I can only remember that happening once or maybe twice. This year, though, Mum and Dad have decided to break almost every tradition we've ever held, so, instead of spending the holidays together, they're visiting the Kingston's who've just moved to Australia and I'm supposed to 'find a little friend to celebrate the holidays with'. I'm sorry, am I whining? I really don't mean to, it's just a little pissing. Granted I've broken the tradition before so they should_ _be allowed to do it too but it still ticks me off. Oh well, doesn't really matter._

_ Anyways, I'm guessing you already know what I'm asking but I'll ask it anyway, can I pretty, pretty, please spend Christmas at your house? Pretty, pretty, pretty, please? I'm asking Harry too but I doubt he'll say anything, he's been inviting me over for the holidays ever since you moved back into the house, usually I say no thanks and spend it with my parents but that's obviously impossible, this year. I guess I'll go ask him now, I think he's in the common room, I'm desperately hoping you don't hate me now, I know the day before vacation is asking a bit much, if it's that much of a problem the Larosey's might let me stay at their house. I'm stalling so I'll go now. Please, please, please, say yes._

_Love,_

_Mione_

I set down my quill and quickly skimmed over the letter. Satisfied, I folded it in thirds and slipped it in an envelope to give to Hedwig. I stood up, put it on top of my towering stack of library books, pushed in my chair, and made my way slowly out from beneath Madam Pince's watchful gaze, trying to see around all sides of my book pile.

Walking down the corridors I passed wave after wave of people heading outside to play in the newly fallen snow. Hoping Harry isn't one of them I gave the Fat Lady the password, Hip, Hip, Hooray Holidays, waited while she swung inwards, and then stumbled in. Almost immediately I felt another pair of arms grab the top of my pile. I quickly snatched the letter and put it on my half before turning to face the Good Samaritan. I grinned gratefully.

"Thanks Ron."

"Not a problem," he smiled back, "Can we go-uh-talk? Somewhere else?"

_Shit._

Apparently he hasn't given up the idea of asking me out, even three months of discouragement by Ginny later.

_Damnit._

And I thought I was close to not having to worry about that anymore. So close.

"Um, sure, sure, just a minute, I want to ask Harry a favor," I said quickly and nervously.

I spotted Harry playing chess with Neville, and, for once, not losing _too _badly, in armchairs in front of the fire. I promptly made my way over to them and, on arriving, dropped my books next to another chair.

"Oh Harry, bestest friend in the whole widest world," I started kindly.

"Hey!" Ron shouted indignantly.

"No offense," I threw quickly over my shoulder.

Harry looked at me amusedly.

"Yes Hermione?" he asked expectantly, "What do you want?"

"Harry!" I fake-gasped, "I'm insulted! Why would you think I've _ever_ used our friendship to get something?"

"So you don't want anything?" he asked, smirking again.

"_Well…_" I drew out the word, wrapping my arms around his shoulders in a hug, "there might be _one _or, _possibly, two,_ very, very, _tiny_ favors I was hoping to have."

I can feel him grinning against the top of my arm.

"And those would _be_?" he asked.

"_Well…_could I _possibly _borrow Hedwig to send a letter to my friend?"

"Your mystery friend?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, my mystery friend."

"Sure, and what's the other favor you wanted?"

"Could I _maybe_, _possibly_, spend the holidays with you and Snuffles? _Pretty _please?"

"You want to spend the holidays with us?" he sounded surprised.

"Please, _please, please, please, please,_ _pretty please, pretty, pretty, plea-_"

"Mione! Yes, it's fine! You can _definitely_ spend the holidays with us!"

"Really?"

"_Yes_. Really. I was just kinda surprised you asked."

"Yay!"

I hugged tighter for a second before letting go. I had seriously doubted Harry was going to say no but I was still ecstatic.

_ I get to spend Christmas with all three of my best friends!_

I hugged Harry one last time before grabbing my books and heading upstairs, Neville and Harry's laughter followed me to the top step. In my mind's hazy fog of happiness I heard Ron and Harry's voices but didn't pay them any attention.

"Since when do you call Hermione 'Mione'?"

"I don't remember, I just do sometimes, a couple other people do too, Snuffles and Ginny and the twins and Lupin all do."

"I know _that_, I just don't know who first called her that."

"Probably whoever sent her that strawberry birthday cake, her mysterious friend."

"Who is it? He knows practically _everything _about her. Even stuff we don't."

"I don't know, if I did that would make him _not _mysterious."

* * *

The post arrived as usual the next day; the standard brown owl dropped off the Daily Prophet and held out its leg for payment. I dropped a few Knuts into the bag tied around it and opened my paper.

"What's the Ministry done wrong about fighting Voldemort today?" Harry asked offhandedly from my right.

"Umm…"

I scanned the titles of the articles, _More Mayhem At The Ministry_,_ He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Truly Back?_, _Death Eater Infiltration Of:_, _Known Death Eater Hangouts_, _Albus Dumbledore And Harry Potter Tell The Truth_, and _The Trials And Tribulations Of The-Boy-Who-Lived _were all listed on the front page as being in the first section. I opened my mouth to tell Harry but before I said anything Hedwig landed in front of me.

"From your mysterious friend?"

I checked the name and nodded to Ron, "I didn't think he would've had the time to write back."

"Didn't you only send it off yesterday?"

I made a vague sound of affirmation and opened the envelope, pulling out the parchment as Ron sullenly muttered, "You two must really like each other."

_Dear Mione,_

_ Of course you can spend the holidays here, you didn't have to beg, I would have said yes no matter how or when you asked. I'm guessing you asked Harry too, since you said you were going to do that yesterday and I can't imagine you stalling, so, what did he say? I don't know why he wouldn't say yes._

_ It'll be great; Molly, Arthur, and Bill are visiting Charlie in Romania so Percy, Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny are supposed to spend the holidays here too. Ron and Ginny don't know yet, Molly's sending a note today. Anyways, only a day (well, when you get this letter it'll be by the end of the day) until you guys all get here, I can't wait, I know I've said this before, and you're incredibly patient to still be putting up with me, but, I'M BORED OUT OF MY MIND OVER HERE! Now that you know (again) how bored I am I'll leave you alone to finish packing (even though I get the feeling you finished Friday night or maybe Saturday morning). I'll see you tonight._

_Love,_

_Padfoot_

_P.S. What'd you get me?_

"Yes!"

"What?" Harry asked distractedly.

"Nothing," I told him quickly, "what's your letter about?"

"Oh, I wrote to Siri-uh-Snuffles to tell him you'd be coming over after all, he said it's fine, _and_, guess what?"

"What?"

"The Weasley's are gonna stay with us too!"

"That's great!" I faked enthusiasm

_Another three weeks to avoid Ron in._

Unfortunately there'll be less people. Don't get me wrong, I love Ron, really, I love him like an immature little brother, that's why it kind of hurts, having to avoid him that is.

Ron was frowning and reading a letter on my left.

"What's wrong?" I asked him.

"You would _think _that Mum and Dad would tell us _before _the day vacation starts that they're leaving," Ginny complained as she sat down heavily across from me.

"Come on," I started, "it'll be fun, I'm staying there too."

"Really?" Ron seemed to brighten up a little at that.

_Shit._

"Yeah," I forced a smile, "it'll be fun," I repeated.

Ginny sighed loudly, "I _guess _it won't be _so _bad."

"It'll be _awesome_!" Harry exclaimed happily.

I'm sure he _is _ecstatic; he spent almost all his Christmases with the Dursley's or at school and now on the second Christmas he's allowed to spend with his godfather all his best friends are spending it with him too.

Ginny smiled, "I think it _will _be fun."

* * *

The door to Number 12 Grimmauld Place swung open on itself, revealing a widely grinning Prof-_Remus_, welcoming us in.

"Nice train ride?" he asked us.

"Oh yeah!" exclaimed Ginny, reminding Harry, Ron, and I who her latest crush was, "It was _awesome_!"

The three of us exchanged amused glances, and, stifling our laughter, we followed Ginny and…_Remus_, inside, Sirius-as-Padfoot behind us.

The door closed and Sirius morphed back into himself in an instant. Harry hugged him tightly for a few minutes, while the rest of us received light hugs from Prof-_Remus_ and more of the Order came out of various rooms to greet us quickly before disappearing again. Finally, it was…Remus…who broke them apart.

"Hey Padfoot!" he called jokingly over Ginny's head as she hugged him a second time, "Don't hog Harry! Some of us want to hug a hero too!"

Sirius chuckled and Harry grinned, "Oh come here!" he called out to, _Remus_, in a forced, long-suffering tone, "As a hero I _do _have an obligation to indulge my _adoring fans_ on occasion."

We all laughed as Remus hugged Harry. I didn't realize Sirius had crossed the somewhat narrow hallway over to us until he was standing directly in front of me. There was a second's pause before he embraced me fiercely and dropped a kiss on my hair. I closed my eyes and returned the hug, letting myself briefly feel warm and safe.

"Good to have you back Mya," he whispered in my ear before stepping back and turning to hug Ginny and give Ron a manly pat on the back.

_Mya? _

_

* * *

_

I accepted a steaming mug off the tray, mumbled thanks to Professor Lu-_Remus_, watched him disappear from the kitchen into the living room, and turned back to Ginny.

"So?" I asked.

She sighed heavily; _I do NOT like how this is sounding so far, _I decided immediately before she spoke, "I dunno, Hermione, not very good?" She said this as more of a question than a statement. Now it was my turn to sigh.

"Well it's not my fault he's so damn persistent!"

I gaped openmouthed at her, "How is it not your fault he wants to ask me to go out with him?" I snapped back.

I can feel my anger rising.

_ Honestly! She said it herself that she had been encouraging him to ask me out! And now she says it's 'not her fault'! Why would she even encourage him to ask me without even asking ME if I liked him that way? 'It's not her fault', bullshit! If SHE hadn't been so encouraging he'd probably still be too nervous to ask me and we'd all be happy and I wouldn't have to avoid one of my BEST FRIENDS!_

"It is _not _my fault! I _never _told him t-" she started angrily before saying softly, "Ok, so I _did _tell him to, I'm really sorry Mione."

"Remind me again _why _you told him to in the _firs_-"

A cold gust of frigid December air blew past my hair and cut me off. I spun around to see Sirius slamming a window down shut and giving me a meaningful look.

_Meaning what? _I wondered briefly before turning back to Ginny.

"Let's just forget about it for now and see if everyone wants to open presents." I told her, getting off the counter I had been sitting on and standing up.

"Excellent!"

Ginny jumped, startled, she had obviously not noticed Sirius yet.

"We've been waiting for you guys!"

I smiled at him.

_Have to ask him later what that look meant. _I had been writing to him since school started, I could tell when he tried to play off something that was important in a letter, I could tell when he was extremely depressed or happy or nervous about something from his handwriting, and I could tell when something was bothering him or he was distracted by something from the way he ordered his words and sentences, but I hadn't been around him in person and, therefore, had not picked up on the mannerisms of the person I trusted completely.

"Come on Mione!" I giggled as Sirius tickled me. Lost in my thoughts I hadn't noticed Ginny leave the room and Sirius come closer.

"S-s-st-stop it!" I forced out, still laughing, "I can't breathe!"

Sirius laughed too and let go of me.

"Come _on_!" he whined like an impatient 5-year-old, "I wanna see what you got me!"

I laughed and informed him he was acting like a toddler to which he responded by sticking his tongue out at me and flicking my nose in a way so similar to what had happened years before that for a minute I was-

_The strange new boy from across the street flicked my nose with his finger and thumb. What did he think he was doing? Why would he poke my nose anyway? He really IS a strange boy, but all boys are strange!_

_ Now he's looking at me like he expects me to do something. What am I supposed to do? Flick HIS nose? Oh well, I guess there really isn't anything else to do! I mimicked his hand movements and flicked his nose._

_ "You're my best friend! Did you know that?"_

_ Who did he think he was? He most certainly was NOT my best friend! He was a strange new boy and everyone knows boys have cooties! I am NOT gonna be friends with a BOY!_

_ "Barbie doll's my best friend!" I told the blonde boy sitting on the grass next to me, "Not you!"_

_ The strange boy frowned a little._

_ Ha! Got you good! And you thought you were my best friend!_

_ "Do you likes strawberry cupcakes?"_

_ "What are those?"_

_ I was…curious, I think that's what Mummy said, I've never even HEARD of 'strawberry' cupcakes. I've never had them neither._

_ "They're really yummy!" The strange blonde boy told me._

_ He's sounding kinda like Mummy when she wants me to eat green yucky things she calls 'veggie-tables'. Green yucky things?_

_ "Are they green yucky things?" I asked him suspiciously, "Because I DON'T like green yucky things."_

_ "They're not green. Or yucky. They're yummy."_

_ I kept frowning, "I've never had one."_

_ "I'll bring you one tomorrow! I promise!" he sounds really happy._

_ Promise? Yeah right. Cousin Amy said boys never keep promises and Cousin Amy is ALWAYS right. Oh well, if he wants to pretend…I shrugged my shoulders and turned back to Barbie._

_ "Ok."_

A tug on my arm from Sirius and I was in 1995 walking through the door between the kitchen and living room at Number 12 Grimmauld Place London.

"_Finally_!" George said.

"Now we can open presents!" Fred added.

I grinned.

"But first," George continued.

"We have something to-"

"Make everyone seem-"

"A bit more in the festive-"

"Spirit of things-"

"If you would Mr. Gred?"

"Why I would be honored Mr. Forge!"

With that George passed out small, square…candies, I suppose, wrapped brightly in green and red paper. We all looked at them uncertainly, well, besides Sirius and Remus (I thought his name without forcing myself to think it!) who just smiled at each other, popped the Starburst look-alikes into their mouths and chewed.

After five seconds had passed and neither of them looked worst for the wear I chewed mine, seeing Harry and Ron follow suit.

_Pop!_

_ Pop!_

Sirius and Remus started cracking up, they had each grown waist length white beards and now had red Santa Claus hats on their heads.

_Oh no…_

_ Pop!_

I looked down myself to see that I now had a beard of my own and felt a hat get placed onto my head.

_Pop!_

_ Pop!_

Harry and Ron abruptly stopped laughing and looked down at themselves to see that they too had grown long white beards. Now it was my turn to laugh.

It only took us all a few minutes to start calming down, Remus, Sirius, Harry, Ron, and I watched on, still laughing, as an indignant Percy with a white beard berated white bearded Fred and George. Ginny had been the only one to _not _eat the candies.

"Oh come on Gin!" George called over Percy's angry voice, "Even Hermione ate it!"

Ginny smiled and shook her head.

"No thanks, George, I have red hair, I'm Christmassy enough, and if it bothers you that much just pretend I'm Mrs. Claus."

"Wow, six Santa's, if you don't count Mione, Mrs. Claus is going to get a lot of action this Christmas Eve."

"Fred!" Ginny sounded near identical to her mother.

I threw a Kleenex box at his head, which he didn't notice, until-

"Hey! That was uncalled for Mione!"

"_Honestly_," George started exasperatedly, "Make _one little_ sexual comment and you have the bloody females after you! And not in the good way!" he shook his head in mock sadness, "What _is _this world coming to?"

Remus, Sirius, Ron, and Harry were laughing again, Percy was obviously torn between joining them or treating George to a lecture of witches' rights, Ginny glared murderously at him, and I threw another Kleenex box.

He ducked.

"Ha! That won't work twice!" he said triumphantly, "_I _learned from Fred's mist-OW!"

Now it was Ginny who had thrown her empty mug at his head. She grinned victoriously.

"See where learning from Fred's mistakes gets you?" she asked rhetorically, "Getting hit with something harder!" She collapsed into giggles and I let myself join her.

"Alright, alright," George said sourly.

"Presents!" Fred declared delightedly, "It's midnight!"

And so, we all got down on our hands and knees beside the Christmas tree and each opened our pile of presents. There was, of course, the usual lumpy package from Mrs. Weasley to each of us, and then Fred and George's presents to us, which turned out to be 'free samples from a new line of jokes we'll soon start-I mean-finish testing', as Fred put it, I put my 'Catalicious Candys' in a small pile a safe distance away from the rest of my presents.

I gave Harry and Ron their usual boxes of Honeydukes sweets, Prof-_Remus_, an engraved daily planner (Have a very merry Christmas, Remus, and a happy New Year-Hermione) that would last throughout the year (what the hell was I supposed to get him?), which he thanked me for and said he was sure it would come in handy. I had given Ginny a box of muggle make-up (which, surprisingly enough, has more variety than wizarding make-up and costs a lot less) I had had my cousin pick out for me, causing her to hug me tightly for a few seconds, squeal gleefully in my ear, and tell me just how jealous Parvati and Lavender would be. I gifted Sirius with an engraved photo album (To Siri, All My Love, Mione), empty save a picture in the first pocket I had received from Professor Dumbledore one morning, completely out of the blue, which showed the four Marauders, Lily, and a girl I didn't recognize, outside of Hogwarts, somewhere around the lake. He hugged me tightly. I had bought Percy the Limited Edition _Prefects Who Gained Power_ Box Set, Volume I, II, and III for which he thanked me profusely. Fred and George, upon opening my large envelope of various brochures their competitors had submitted to the Ministry with a list of products not yet available to be approved, immediately swallowed me into a large hug.

"Where did you get them?"

"We love you Mione!"

"You're the greatest!"

I laughed and hugged them back as much as I could.

"Percy gave them to me."

"Percy!" George let go of me and turned to his older brother huffily, "You had access to pre-promo ads from our competitors and you didn't give them to us or even _tell _us about them? I thought we were family! Don't you love us?" George asked him in a fake-tearful voice.

"It's a good thing little Mione here has more of a conscience than you!" Fred declared, keeping one arm wrapped around my shoulders and giving me an exaggeratedly loud kiss on the cheek.

"Honestly!" George added, "Where would we be without Mione?"

"Looking like fools when all the joke shops except us released new things as a late new year celebration on the first Hogsmeade visit of students! We should dedicate our whole new line to Hermione! It'll be all thanks to her that we have it out in time!"

"We can," George agreed with Fred, "and we will!"

I laughed, at both their declarations and Percy looking flabbergasted.

"Well-well-it's against the _rules_!" he finally sputtered, "I only gave them to Hermione because she wouldn't leave me alone about it! I didn't even mean to _tell _her! It accidentally slipped out when I was telling her about the new ban on thin cauldrons."

"He's right," I told the twins, deciding to come to Percy's rescue, "It took months and _months _of letter begging! He didn't give in 'till I started sending the same identical letter to him three or four times a day!"

"Most embarrassing moment of my life," Percy muttered.

George grinned slowly, "What was? Brother dearest."

Percy sighed, "The _Minister _was the one who told me to send them to her, he said all the owls were distracting him and asked if he could read one, I couldn't really say no, could I? So I gave him one of the notes and he started laughing, I mean, really, _really_, laughing loudly. Then he said I should just give them to her, he said that as a woman she wouldn't stop until I did. It was _so _embarrassing; he asked me if any of my girlfriends were as pushy as my little brother's best friend."

By now almost everyone was roaring with laughter. I grinned to myself proudly. It _was_ a very happy Christmas.

* * *

I tucked my legs under me on the couch in front of the fireplace at 12 Grimmauld Place, the couch I was starting to consider Sirius' and mine, and accepted my second mug of hot chocolate tonight from him.

"Thanks," I smiled.

"No heavy stuff, tonight, k? It's Christmas."

I laughed a bit, "No heavy stuff," I agreed, nodding my head once.

He grinned, handed me a small box in Christmas wrappings, and sat on the opposite side of the sofa.

_Why would he be giving me something else? He's already given me a self-refilling mug and the pot that goes with it._

I looked at him confused, and, seeing him nod his head encouragingly at me to open it. I untapped the green ribbon from the red wrapping paper, opened the paper and the small, flat, white box concealed inside it to see a silver necklace with a hockey stick pendant, and, if I looked at the hockey stick closely enough, a small number 14 carved into the handle of it. Blinking back tears I touched my neck where another hockey stick pendant had once hung.

_"Thank you!" I hugged Kevin tightly._

_ "Oh well, Y'know," he said, obviously trying to act cool, "We got them at the ceremony for our second place trophy and I don't wear girly jewelry."_

_ Personally, I don't think a hockey stick, even on a chain necklace, is very girly but I'm not about to tell my best friend that, he wants to give it to me and I want to keep it._

_ I peered closer at it before he took it out of my hands._

_ "Besides," he added as he clipped it into place around my neck, "It looks better on you anyway."_

_ "What's written on it?" I asked him curiously._

_ "Well, it was supposed to be mine so it has my hockey jersey number, 14, around the handle and my initials, K.L., on the back."_

_ I hugged my recently-turned-ten-years-old best friend again._

_ "Thanks Kev," I whispered in his ear, "You're the greatest."_

I turned a tearful face to Sirius.

_"He can't be dead Mum! It's not fair!" I screamed angrily at my mother, kicking the doorframe at the same time. I can feel tears running all down my face. "He's not dead!"_

_ "Oh honey," Mum whispered brokenly, opening her arms, "come here."_

_ "No! He's not dead! I won't believe it!" I stepped away from my mother but she came closer and hugged me anyways._

_ "I'm so sorry sweetheart, but you won't ever forget him, his memory already lives on in all of his gifts and memories, like that hockey pendant you always wear."_

_ I pushed her away and ripped the necklace from my throat, throwing it out into the street with one gesture, "No! I don't need it! I don't want it! His memory doesn't live there because, HE'S NOT DEAD!"_

_ I fell to the ground sobbing, "He can't be dead Mummy, he just can't be," and I let my mother wrap her arms around me._

I threw myself at Sirius, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck.

"Thank you," I muttered, years of suppressed tears pouring down from my eyes again, "Thank you so much," I mumbled into the crook of his shoulder and let him rub warming circles on my back.

"It's ok."

We sat there and watched the snow fall for hours.


	6. 5:Daily Prophet HeadlinePettigrew: Alive...

Eulogizing Memoirs

Amelie Rae Lanhoss

**[A/N-This took a _lot _longer than I expected. Sorry! Review responses; in my bio as usual. Shockingly enough, it's already been a month since I started this fic. Doesn't seem that long…granted I was gone for almost two weeks…anyways, I need opinions…I'm having the hardest time deciding whether or not I should have a short 6th chapter for Siri's Ball or my original plan…so, let me know what you think. Completely off-topic…I have a new cat! He's three months old, extremely energetic, playful, and his name is D.J. and he's teething, unfortunately. On that note this chapter is dedicated to D.J., who's sitting in my lap, and Mai Gamit, who asked questions, and, as always, in loving memory, to K.M.L.**

** -C.R.C.] **

Chapter 5-Daily Prophet Headline: Pettigrew, Alive And Caught!

**_Clabbert_**_   
_**_XX_**_   
This arboreal creature resembles a cross between a monkey and a frog. Its smooth skin is mottled green. The Clabbert has short horns and a wide grinning mouth. Its long arms and webbed hands and feet allow it to move gracefully through the trees. On the Clabbert's forehead is a large pustule which flashes red when-_

"Hermione!"

I looked up from _Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them _to see Harry running straight at me from the Great Hall doors. Don't know _why _he looks so…excited. I wonder what's happened.

I opened my mouth to ask him what was going on when he slammed me back against the table (thank god I already finished my cereal) and crushed me in something that somewhat resembled a suffocating-Mrs.-Weasley-like hug.

"Harry!" I managed to choke out with the small amount of breath still in me.

He released me and I let myself breathe a sigh of relief. _Too soon._ He wrapped his arms around my waist and squeezed just as hard again.

"They found him! He's going to be put on trial! They finally caught him!"

I watched, somewhat amused, as my previously sane best friend let go of me to jump up and do a little jig.

_I need more caffeine to deal with this._

The thought ran unbidden through my head, strangely sounding a bit like Sirius.

"La de da! La de da! Life's so grand!"

"Harry sit down, you're becoming an embarrassment to the entire human race."

I tried to pull him back down to sit next to me, instead, I ended up being pulled out of my seat and spun around in circles.

"It's a beautiful morning! It's a lovely day! It's a wonderful week! It's a gorgeous-looking month! It's-"

"Harry!"

He ignored me and kept up with his singing.

"-a fun-filled year! It's a delicious decade!"

Breathe in, breathe out, do _not_ strangle Harry.

"It's a culinary century!"

_Culinary _century?

"_HARRY!_" I immediately took advantage of his pause between 'culinary century' and god knows what else, to yell his name. I'm definitely _not _worried about attracting attention since he already has everybody in the Hall staring at us. Deep breath in, _don't _whack him on the head.

"What happened?" I asked him in a more normal tone.

"They caught Pettigrew!"

The silence took on a more stunned feel and I can feel myself start to smile.

_They caught Pettigrew._

"'They' who, Harry? 'They' the Ministry?" I can honestly, _literally,_ feel myself trembling.

Harry nodded excitedly, "'They' the Ministry!"

"Pettigrew's dead, Potty! Even someone with a brain of _your _size should now that!"

I am _extremely _tempted, at the moment, to turn around and either give Malfoy the finger, or, hold up three fingers and tell him to read between the lines. But, right now, _nothing _can make me feel less than ecstatic.

_Sirius is free._

"They caught him?" I can barely contain my giddiness and I'm sure Harry would be able to tell if he wasn't acting like someone told him he didn't have to finish school, he had just been offered a permanent position on the English Quidditch team, and his parents were alive again, all at the same time. I'm pretty sure everyone else in the Hall can tell I'm on the verge of hysterics like Harry.

Behind me I heard the doors bang open again and feet running towards us. I can't make myself care though. Harry's nodding!

"He's free!"

I spun around after I heard Ron to see him running towards us, a huge smile on his face and holding a newspaper.

"Look! Look, look, look!"

I grabbed the _Daily Prophet _from him while he was still panting loudly and smoothed it out in front of the three of us.

**Peter Pettigrew: Alive And Caught!**

Aurors Kingsley Shacklebolt and Nymphadora Tonks were walking back to the Ministry at approximately 12:51 yesterday afternoon, when they happened to walk past a Muggle park.

Aurors Shacklebolt and Tonks regularly pass by this park when returning from Wanda's Wizardly Watering Hole (a small café famous for it's special Woot's, located behind the Muggle beanery on Williamson), however, this time they noticed a 'small, shuffley, sneaky-looking, rat of a man', said Auror Tonks, sitting on a park bench in front of the big fountain at the park gates. Auror Shacklebolt said he noticed him because he was 'gnawing at something and looked like he was begging an invisible someone to not hurt him', 'he was crying and shaking his head a lot' added Auror Tonks. After noticing that he had a wand sticking out of a coat pocket the Auror's went over to see if they could help him.

When he continued 'gibbering', said Auror Tonks, Auror Shacklebolt preformed an _'Ostendo Nomen'_, better known as the Name-Revealing Spell. 'When _PETER PETTIGREW _was spelled out Tonks and I figured something was wrong' said Auror Shacklebolt, they proceeded to cast the spell two more times each, continuously yielding the same results. Knowing that the famed murderer and Azkaban escapee, Sirius Black, had supposedly killed Peter Pettigrew the two Aurors quickly agreed to bring him back to the Ministry to see if a mistake had been made.

Further tests from multiple experts of their fields showed the same outcome. As a last test Madam Amelia Bones, Head of the Department of Law Enforcement, gave the go-ahead to administer Veritaserum to Pettigrew. After questioning it was clear that the 'trembling little man' of the Muggle park Aurors Shacklebolt and Tonks frequently pass, was, in fact, Peter Pettigrew.

After in-depth questioning Auror Dawlish, who interrogated Pettigrew, gave the transcript of questions and answers to the Minister who has announced that, after all this time Sirius Black is _not _the murderer he was widely believed to be. The Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge, would like to issue a formal, public apology to Mr. Sirius Black.

Pettigrew's trial is scheduled to happen at 3 o'clock this afternoon. Pettigrew will be tried on numerous counts of Using An Unforgivable, being an Unregistered Animagus, Illegal Dark Arts Activity, Concealment Of Information, Lying To Chief Warlock (Of The Wizengamot), and Secret-Keeper Betrayal (Leading To A Death Or Deaths), among many others. Mr. Black is urged to attend this hearing so that he may testify against Pettigrew as are many others who are 'to be contacted personally by the Wizengamot' said Minister Fudge. Mr. Black is also guaranteed his freedom and will be cleared of all charges.

Plans are supposedly being made for the Ministry to host a ball in Mr. Black's honor as a form of asking for forgiveness.

When records were brought up it was shown that Mr. Black did _not_ receive a trial, many others, along with myself, were appalled. Outcries from-

**This article continued on pages 2, 3, 5, 8, 9, 10, and 14**

Harry, Ron, and I grinned even wider at each other after I had finished reading aloud. Something in the back of my mind registered that the whole of the Great Hall was still staring at us and had heard me read the article before I hurriedly flipped to the next page. Owls flew in with mail a second before I finished flattening the paper again. Harry shoved a note towards Ron and I.

_ ****Harry Potter_

_ Gryffindor Table, Great Hall_

_ Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry_

_I'm FREE!!!!!!_

My smile grew even bigger when I saw Sirius' messy handwriting on the torn piece of paper.

_And I'm getting a ball!!!!!!_

I was ready to laugh out loud at that I was _that_ giddy.

"Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Miss Granger, I hope that I am not bothering you in any way."

"Of course not, sir, not at all," I answered the Headmaster automatically before looking up and seeing his eyes twinkling a bit more than usual.

"Excellent!" he declared before sitting down across from us, I must admit I'm a little surprised, I don't think I've ever seen the Headmaster sit at a House table before.

"Now, since Miss Granger was so kind as to read to us all about the _Daily Prophet_'s cover story you will know that a member of the Wizengamot will personally contact anyone whom the Wizengamot believes will testify strongly against Mr. Pettigrew. As Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot I am personally contacting you three and requesting that you speak at the trial."

"We'll do it!" Harry answered immediately.

"Wonderful, wonderful, you will all be excused from your fourth class of the day and I will meet you in the Entrance Hall at that time. We will than portkey directly to the Ministry and go to Courtroom Ten were the trial is to be held. Funny how everything seems to happen there, isn't it? Well have a nice day children, I shall see you again in about five hours."

We grinned at each other stupidly for another few minutes before Ron let out a gleeful squeal. Harry and I exchanged a glance (_Ron squealing!_) before looking strangely at Ron who simply shrugged his shoulders.

"It just came out."

* * *

I thanked Professor Vector for giving me the Arithmancy homework before almost running back down to the front doors of the castle.

_I can't believe he's free!_

I grinned to myself and sped up a bit.

_I can't believe he's free!_

"Hermione!"

I looked at the bottom of the stairs to see Harry waving me down impatiently.

"Come on!"

"I'm coming."

I ran down the stairs and almost directly into the Headmaster.

"Ah, Miss Granger, I am glad you are so eager to leave, I believe we are only awaiting on Mr. Weasley to finish relieving himself…and there he is…"

Harry and I spun around to see Ron coming from the corridor behind us, wiping his hands on his pants.

"Come _on _Ron! Even Hermione's here and _girls _are supposed to be the one's who take forever!"

"Hey!" I exclaimed frowningly, I understand that Harry's _extremely _happy, really I do, I am too, but still.

"Alright, let's go," spoke Professor Dumbledore from the side, pulling out feather from one of his robe pockets, "everyone touch this, only a finger, and we should portkey to the Ministry in about 5…4…3…2…"

I prepared myself for the unsettling feeling of being jerked by your navel through space.

"1…"

I felt my feet fly out from under me and saw colors whizzing pass.

"And…here we are now."

I slowly blinked into view a long stone corridor on either side of the huge wooden doors we had appeared in front of.

"Courtroom Ten, this way."

A small sign next to the door confirmed his proclamation.

The Headmaster easily pushed open the large doors and led the three of us through. The inside looked a lot like Harry had described it. Against the far wall a long stone desk rose to a towering height. Behind it sat the entire (or what I'm guessing is the entire Wizengamot, judging on the number of people there) Wizengamot, minus of course-

"Albus! Excellent! You have the last three scheduled to testify?"

"I do, Amelia; Miss Granger, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, if you would all be so kind as to take a seat."

He motioned to a section of seats behind a wooden railing that separated us from Sirius. We all grinned at Sirius as we sat down next to Professor Lupin, _Remus, _who was in front of Professor Snape, who isn't looking all that happy to be here. Sirius grinned back at us before jumping and turning around at the sound of Fudge's booming _Sonorus_ voice.

"Witches and Wizards of the Wizengamot! The public and I thank you for donating your time in our search for the true perpetrator in recent and past events!" here Fudge seemed to lose some of his passion and started speaking in a normal tone of voice again, "On the first of November in the year 1981 it was believed that Sirius Orion Black was in league with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and that he had been spying on Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore's war efforts against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

"It was further believed that Mr. Black had been entrusted with the position of Secret-Keeper for James Harold Potter, Lily Rose Evans Potter, and Harry James Potter.

"It was also widely believed that Mr. Black had betrayed the location of the three aforementioned Potters to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, resulting in the late Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Potter's deaths and the attempted murder of Mr. Harry J. Potter.

"On the day of the first of November of that year Mr. Black encountered a Mr. Peter Timothy Pettigrew, recently revoked Order of Merlin 1st Class, on a Muggle street. Multiple eyewitnesses have claimed that Mr. Pettigrew cornered Mr. Black on this street and was sobbing, quote, 'Lily and James, Sirius! How could you?' Our eye-witnesses then informed us that they _assumed _Mr. Black had taken out his wand and cast a variation of the Blasting Hex, creating a large crater in the middle of the Muggle street, killing twelve Muggles and one Wizard. It was also assumed that another curse was used on Mr. Pettigrew which, and I quote again, 'blew him to smithereens' The biggest tangible piece of Mr. Pettigrew found, at that time, was a sole finger, and Mr. Pettigrew was presumed dead.

"Recent uncovered evidence has effectively shaken these assumptions. I would now like to call on Auror Dawlish, who has a transcript of an interrogation session, occurring earlier today, during which Mr. Pettigrew was under the influence of Veritaserum. Auror Dawlish, if you please," Fudge motioned for a tough, middle-aged wizard with short, wiry, gray hair to stand up.

"Thank you, Minister," the man said quietly before clearing his throat and, recalling Fudge's earlier charm, also casting _Sonorus_ on himself, "The following conversation took place between myself and a Veritaserum-induced Mr. Peter Timothy Pettigrew. As is tradition when Veritaserum-uncovered evidence is used in a trial allow me to remind the Wizengamot that all Veritaserum-uncovered evidence is to be viewed as truthful fact," Dawlish cleared his throat a second time, "I first asked Mr. Pettigrew what his full name was, to which he responded 'Peter Timothy Pettigrew'. I then asked Mr. Pettigrew how he had survived Mr. Black's attack on the first of November 1981, and why he hadn't contacted anyone at the Ministry. Mr. Pettigrew replied, 'Sirius never attacked me'. I would now like to proceed by reading the full transcript aloud," another clear of the throat, "State your full name.

"'Peter Timothy Pettigrew'.

"Mr. Pettigrew, how did you survive the attack by Mr. Sirius Black on November 1st, 1981?

"'Sirius never attacked me, there was no attack _to _survive'.

"Mr. Pettigrew, why did you not contact a Ministry official?

"'I needed everyone to believe that Sirius was the traitor and that I was dead'.

"Mr. Pettigrew, why did you need people to believe Mr. Black was a traitor and that he had killed you?

"'I didn't want to go to Azkaban. I _couldn't _have lived in Azkaban, many of My Lord's supporters blamed me for his downfall, they would have killed me'.

"Mr. Pettigrew, who do you consider your 'Lord'?" here the Auror gulped noticeably and looked nervously up at the Wizengamot that lined the back wall, "'Lord V-Vol-Voldemort'."

There was a sharp intake of breath from almost every occupant of the chamber, Dawlish gulped again, looking more relieved than anxious, this time, "Mr. Pettigrew, you-_do _you consider He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named your 'Master'?

"'Yes'.

There was a second collective intake of breath.

"Mr. Pettigrew, what, in detail, occurred on the night of the 31st of October, 1981?

"'I had been waiting for days, for six days, for My Lord to call me to his side. I had more precious information on James, Harry, and Lily's whereabouts than ever before. It was on the 31st that my Master called all of his loyal servants to him. He asked me to report and I was finally able to give him what he wanted so badly, Harry Potter! The Potter's had made me their Secret-Keeper and I was the only one who knew of their location! I informed the Dark Lord of what happened and he was pleased, my Master was ever so pleased with me, he told me he would grant me my heart's deepest desire once he had returned from the Potter's. I do not know more about what happened next than most people, only that My Lord was able to ruin their house, kill Lily and James, and attempt to kill Harry, however, the curse meant to take Harry's life rebounded and killed My Lord instead'.

"Mr. Pettigrew, what, in detail, occurred between yourself and Mr. Sirius Black on the morning of the 1st of November, 1981?

"'Nobody knew Sirius and I had switched places at the last minute, nobody knew that _I _had been the Potter's Secret-Keeper instead of Sirius. I knew I had to make sure everybody believed Sirius was the criminal. I had to make sure everybody thought I was dead too, if I didn't all of My Lord's faithful followers would torture me, for most of them believed I was the reason he had died as he met his death following my information. On November 1st I cornered Sirius on a Muggle street. I yelled for the whole street to hear that he had betrayed Lily and James before, holding my wand behind my back, I blasted a crater in the road behind me. While it was still smoky and hard to see I cut my one of my fingers off with a knife I had brought and transformed into my Animagus form before I fled into the sewers'.

"Mr. Pettigrew, what is you're Animagus form?

"'I am a rat'.

"Mr. Pettigrew, are you a registered Animagus?

"'No'.

And so the transcript went on, under Veritaserum Wormtail had admitted to all sorts of crimes, nursing Voldemort back to health, performing the ritual that granted Voldemort a new body, casting hundreds of Unforgivable's in the name of 'his Lord', attacking Alastor Moody in the summer of 1994, stealing from the Weasley's when he was a rat so he would have money when he became human again, hiding out in Hagrid's hut and also stealing from him, the list went on and on. Finally the tough looking Auror thanked the Wizengamot for their time and sat down again. The Headmaster rose from his seat as Chief Warlock.

"I, personally, have heard more than enough to convict Mr. Pettigrew to multiple life sentences in Azkaban. However, by law we are required to hear all the evidence and testimonies. Minister Fudge, as prosecutor, your first witness, please."

Fudge nodded his head in thanks, "Thank you, Mr. Sirius Orion Black, if you would be so kind as to stand up as you speak."

Sirius stood and looked Fudge straight in the eye, making Fudge waver a bit before clearing his throat, "Mr. Black, will you agree to taking Veritaserum?"

Sirius seemed to consider it a minute before, "Yes."

A hand motion by Fudge and a younger wizard was jogging across the chamber and handing a vial to Sirius. Fudge waited the customary thirty seconds to let the potion enter his bloodstream before he started his questioning.

"Following tradition I am first required to ask you to state your name please."

"Sirius Orion Black."

"Mr. Black, were you, or have you ever been, allied with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?"

"No."

"Mr. Black, did you cast any spells, charms, curses, jinxes, hexes, enchantments, etc., on November the 1st, 1981?"

"No."

"Mr. Black, did you see a Mr. Peter Pettigrew after the 1st of November, 1981?"

"Yes."

This answer seemed to startle Fudge because he opened his mouth and closed it before asking, "You saw Pettigrew _after _November 1st, 1981?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"On the newspaper you gave me during the summer of 1993 and again near the end of Harry's third year, in the Shrieking Shack."

"In what form did you see him on the newspaper?"

"In his rat Animagus form."

"In what form did you see him in the Shrieking Shack in 1994?"

"In his rat Animagus form, at first, then in his human form, then, last, in his rat Animagus form again."

"Who did you tell that Mr. Pettigrew was still alive? And use first and last names, please."

"Cornelius Fudge, Severus Snape, and Albus Dumbledore."

"Were there any others with you and Pettigrew in the Shrieking Shack? First and last names again, please."

"Severus Snape, Remus Lupin, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger."

"Did they all see Pettigrew in human form?"

"No."

"Who did not see him in human form?"

"Severus Snape."

"Why not?"

"He got knocked out," Sirius grinned at, presumably, the memory.

"Thank you Mr. Black, you may sit down."

Sirius started sitting back down before-

"Oh!" Fudge spun back around to look at him again, "Out of personal curiosity, are you an unregistered Animagus as well? And if so, what is your Animagus form?"

"Yes, I'm an unregistered Animagus, and I'm a big, black dog," Sirius grinned again, "I've been told I look a lot like a Grim."

The trial continued, a bit dully for something 15 years in the making, with more questions asked by Fudge and answers from various people. Professor Snape was called on to say that _yes,_ when he got to the Shrieking Shack everyone was going on about Pettigrew being a rat and, _yes,_ he _had_ been knocked out for an undetermined amount of time. Harry, Ron, and I all had to stand up and say that we _had _seen Pettigrew in the Shrieking Shack, Harry and I also had to admit that we'd rescued Sirius, which led to a discussion on how 'trustworthy' I had truly been to get the Time-Turner and use it to help convicted murders, Fudge stopped after I pointed out that I had only used it to help an _innocent,_ convicted murderer. Remus had to say he _did_ know about Sirius' Animagus abilities, which caused an avalanche of questions on _why _he didn't tell the Headmaster, and that he had also seen Pettigrew in the Shrieking Shack.

It was a few hours after Fudge had finished questioning Sirius before Wormtail was brought out, flanked by Dementors, ironically probably the only two left on our side, and seated and strapped into a chair in the middle of the chamber.

"Mr. Peter Timothy Pettigrew," Fudge started, he looked like he was gaining more of his passion from earlier, "you have heard the evidence and the testimonies of those against you, by law I am required to ask you what you now have to say in your defense. Let the records show that Mr. Pettigrew has again been given a hefty dose of Veritaserum and is, therefore, unable to lie. Mr. Pettigrew, the floor is yours."

The pale man, who looked even worse than that night in the Shrieking Shack, immediately started to grovel and beg. I think that if he hadn't been tied up he would have probably been on his knees.

"Please! No! You can't do anything to hurt me! You don't understand! I never wan-want-wanted t-to-" Wormtail looked like he was literally choking on the words. Behind us I heard Professor Snape sneer, "Fool, only a complete moron would try to tell a blatant lie under Veritaserum."

"Let the record show that Mr. Pettigrew is fighting the effects of Veritaserum," Fudge spoke, "I believe that if he's already fighting the effects he cannot have anything truthful to say in his defense. Witches and Wizards of the Wizengamot I invite you to deliberate on Mr. Pettigrew's verdict," with that Fudge sat down again.

Immediately everyone along the far wall leaned closer to each other and started whispering urgently between themselves. After the Headmaster cast a strong _Silencio _around their seats the talking seemed to grow louder. On my left Ron reached over and grabbed my hand. I smiled at him before using my other hand to take Harry's. Harry turned to look at us both and grin thankfully. I closed my eyes and tried to will the Wizengamot to vote against Wormtail. It only took a few minutes before I heard someone at the front clearing their throat and I opened my eyes again. The Headmaster was standing up. He motioned with a hand and Fudge, Wormtail, and Sirius all stood up with him.

"The Wizengamot and I have come to a decision. We charge Mr. Peter Timothy Pettigrew with 736 counts of Using an Unforgivable, undetermined multiple counts of Illegal Dark Arts Activity, I believe we said 500 counts?" he directed the question at the rest of the Wizengamot, most of who nodded, "Yes, 500 counts of Illegal Dark Activity, 29 counts of Robbery, 305 counts of Attack Another Wizard With Mal-intentions, 4 counts of Concealment Of Information from Chief Warlock, 3 counts of Secret-Keeper Betrayal, 2 counts of Misleading Public On Purpose, and one count of Unregistered Animagus." Here Professor Dumbledore paused again and shuffled a few sheets of parchment.

"Oh yes, we have also decided to clear all charges from under the name of Mr. Sirius Orion Black, including one count of Unregistered Animagus, under the condition that he becomes registered by the end of next week," he looked at Sirius over the top of his papers with a twinkle in his eyes before turning serious again and clearing his throat, "Mr. Pettigrew _should _have 1,237 Life Terms, 255 Years, and 1 Month in Azkaban Prison. However, as that would be impossible, we charge Mr. Pettigrew with A Life Term in Azkaban Prison, to be started immediately. All charges filed against Mr. Sirius Orion Black as of October 31, 1981, are to be cleared immediately. It is also my duty," the Headmaster let a happy twinkle into his eyes again, "to inform Mr. Black that as a godfather without any criminal offenses against him he is also immediately awarded full custody of Mr. Harry James Potter."

I can tell Sirius is grinning just as widely as Harry.

Wormtail broke down into hysterical sobs in the middle of the chamber, causing most people to look on him in disgust and a few in pity.

"No! You can't! Harry!" Wormtail turned his head toward us, "Harry! James would have never-James would have under-un-understood-" he fell into a choking fit again as both Sirius and Remus stood and started yelling at him, something about being a traitorous rat and not having the right to even kiss Harry's shoes.

"Gentlemen!"

It was Fudge's bark that quieted them; Fudge seemed shocked that they would behave that way. The Headmaster snapped his fingers and the two Dementors came back in and escorted a trembling and screaming Wormtail out through the small door at the back that he had come through.

"No! No! Someone! Please, help!"

The room stayed silent for a few minutes after Wormtail's pitiful exit before-

"Well then Cornelius," Headmaster Dumbledore started, the twinkle back in his eye, "I trust I will receive in invitation to the ball being thrown in honor of Mr. Black that we at Hogwarts all heard about this morning?"

"Oh yes, yes, yes-of course you will Dumbledore, of course you will, and, of course, anyone else Mr. Black wishes to invite, actually," Fudge cleared his throat nervously, apparently the idea of Sirius being innocent will take some getting used to on his part, "I was hoping to speak with Mr. Black about his-er-ball." He looked at Sirius expectantly who shrugged, "Sure, Fudge."

"_Minister _Fudge."

"_Minister _Fudge," Sirius mimicked him before turning to us and wrapping first Pr-_Remus_ in a hug, and then Harry, and, finally, me.

"Yay!" I whispered excitedly in his ear, feeling this morning's emotions come back.

_ Sirius' really free now!_

I felt more than heard him chuckle quietly and I let myself giggle into his shoulder happily before he stepped back to shake Ron's hand.


	7. 6:The End Of Year 6

Eulogizing Memoirs

Amelie Rae Lanhoss

**[A/N-Review responses in my bio. I'm so sorry this has taken forever, I've been pretty melancholy for the past week or so and just didn't feel like doing anything. I decided against writing _Siri's Ball_, mainly because there wouldn't really be anything important happening in the chapter, so, it'd end up being pretty short. Instead, here is _The End Of Year 6_. This chapter is dedicated to Fawkes-06, who is _the _most flattering reviewer and is being ever so kind and reviewing past chapters and who probably still needs more reviews for _Worlds Apart_ hint hint and, as always, in loving, loving memory, to K.M.L.**

** -C.R.C.]**

Chapter 6-The End Of Year 6

"Hello Hermione."

I stumbled climbing out of the portrait hole from the Gryffindor common room when I heard Luna Lovegood's voice calling my name on the last morning of term.

"Hi Luna," I replied politely, turning to face her, "How are you?"

"Fine," she answered in her usual dreamy voice, "I only have _The Standard Book Of Spells Grade 5 _and my hairbrush to find. Would you like to join me?"

Okay…that seems a bit strange…of course, when has _anything _that has to do with Luna _not_ seemed a little strange. I shrugged.

"Sure."

Together we wandered down flights of stairs and through corridors, passing people running in all different directions, probably also looking for last minute things they forgot to pack last night. We passed a group of 4 or 5 tearful 7th years, I only recognized Cho Changand Katie Bell, and turned down the last flight of stairs to the ground floor. Ignoring the strange looks people were giving us, most likely because of the bizarre duo we made, Gryffindor Know-It-All and Ravenclaw Loony, I turned to Luna and asked politely how she was spending her summer.

"Well," she paused to flip up a visor on a suit of armor near the hallway to the kitchens and retrieved a blue hairbrush before continuing, "My father has arranged for the two of us to travel aroundthe country and look for Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. There was another sighting a bit north of Surrey, you know. We didn't have much luck in Sweden last year so Dad decided to try again a bit closer to home. We're scheduled to come home in late July."

I nodded my head and turned the corner ahead of her. Spotting her textbook on the floor near the doors to the Great Hall I bent down and picked it up. Turning around I handed it to her.

"Thank you, I wonder if I'll do this with Ron next year."

Ron? Next year? What's she even _talking _about?

"Excuse me?"

"Last year, Harry walked around with me while I found the last of my things, this year it's you. Isn't it logical that the third part of the 'Golden Trio' will walk with me next year?"

"Uh, sure…" I agreed with her uncertainly.

"See you on the train."

I watched her walk off to the Ravenclaw table and turned to join Harry and Ron at the Gryffindor one.

"This deserves a toast," Harry started, lifting his cup of orange juice.

"What does?" I asked him, my mind still on Luna and her strange logic.

"I think this is the first year that me and Ron-"

"Ron and I," I corrected him automatically and they both rolled their eyes at me.

"_Ron and I_, got to breakfast before you."

"I was talking to Luna."

Ron kept shoveling eggs into his mouth but Harry pausedand got an odd look on his face before he turned to look at me.

"Did she find everything?"

I nodded and sat down at my normal place between the two of them. Harry nodded back, as if to convince himself of something, and returned his attention to his breakfast.

"That's good."

Okay, now _Harry's _the one acting strange.

"Come _on_," Ginny laughed as she came over to us, "we're going to miss the train if you three don't hurry up!"

"What?" I asked her startled; it's not really _my _fault I only got up this late and not at my normal time. I had the nightmare _twice _last night. Guess I shouldn't have gone back to sleep after the second time.

Ginny laughed again, this time probably at my expression, before trying to pull the three of us out of our seats at the same time.

"Leave us _alone_, Gin!" Ron grumbled good naturedly, "Some of us want to eat."

"You _always _want to eat, Ron." Ginny reminded him, trying to pull him up again.

"What time is it?"

I directed this question to Harry who had, finally, gotten a new watch at Christmas. He glanced at his gift from Pr-Remus and stood up hastily, grabbing a few pieces of toast off a nearby plate as he did so. "Almost 10:40."

I jumped up next to him and pulled Ron up with me. "C'mon, Ginny's right, we'll be late if we don't leave soon!"

"Yeah, _soon_, not right _now_!"

But he followed us out of the rapidly emptying Great Hall and into the Entrance Hall to get our luggage, in spite of the commentary of muttered complaints he kept up.

By the time the four of us managed to make it outside and down the front steps, struggling with our trunks and familiars all the way, a new group of thestral-drawn carriages was arriving. We didn't waste another minute before stumbling one after the other into the first carriage. It was another minute of waiting before Luna clambered into our carriage.

The thestrals immediately started moving after the door was closed. The abrupt and somewhat shaky start caused Luna to lose her balance and land squarely in Harry's lap, where she did the most human-like thing I've ever seen her do-she blushed. They both did, actually, Luna _and _Harry.

"I-I-I'm so-uh-so sor-sorry." Luna managed to stammer out as she climbed off him and onto the seat next to him.

"It's, um, not a-a" Harry started in a voice a lot higher and squeakier than usual before he cleared his throat loudly, "Not a problem, it's not a problem-at all."

Ron and I exchanged amused glances-I think he might be finally giving up on the idea to ask me out-and we both watched Harry and Luna look at everything but each other. I turned, smiling, to see if Ginny thought this was as funny as Ron and I did. But, when I looked over at her she was staring resolutely out one of the windows. I guess she's not _as_ over Harry as she keeps saying she is.

Needless to say the relatively short carriage ride from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade Platform was passed in silence.

* * *

It only took about 3 or 4 hours into the train ride before Ginny, Ron, and Luna had fallen asleep. I was already almost halfway through reading _Advanced Numerology and Gramatica for the NEWT Student _and Harry was sitting across from Luna and staring out the window.

"I'm worried about Sirius." Harry told me suddenly.

Why would he be worried about Siri? He's fine, a lot happier and better than usual, actually. Especially since he was cleared and Wormtail was put in Azkaban. Granted I know Harry's parents' deaths still weigh heavily on his conscience but he's been a lot happier lately. I can tell by his letters.

I frowned a little, marked my page, and turned to look at Harry.

"Why? You shouldn't be, he's fine."

Harry shook his head a little, "It's not anything people like you-"

Excuse me? _People like me_? What the hell does that mean?

"-would notice,-"

Um, that would be because there _isn't _anything _to _notice.

"-it's just little things-"

Yeah, _maybe _a tiny, microscopic thing.

"-that only the person who knows him best,-"

Who, Remus? Maybe me?

"-me, and, _maybe_ Lupin, would notice."

Yeah, right, _you_? Not a chance, buddy boy. Isn't that a bit egoistical anyways? Seriously, you write him once, maybe twice, a month, and you think _you _know him best? I suggest you deflate your head a bit so it fits through the doorway. Merlin, I'm starting to sound like Snape! Oh well, I guess it's okay as long as I don't base my own personal hygiene off his. Of course, I can't tell Harry any of this, so…

"What little things?"

He sighed as if the fate of the world rested on his shoulders, which, ironically, it does, before he finally turned to face me.

"Little things, he seems happy, I'll give you that, but…the thing he's wanted most…his biggest dream…just happened, and he's…_just _happy. He should be ecstatic, he should be rolling on the floor laughing and smiling but…he's just, _happy_."

Y'know what? Screw not telling Harry. I'm in a very, _very_ Snapey mood. Let's give him a shock.

"What do you think he wants more than anything in the world?" I asked Harry, who looked surprised at the question.

"Come on Hermione, everybody knows that. Don't be stupid, he wanted his name cleared and Pettigrew in Azkaban."

I made a buzzing noise and shook my head, "Nope, wrong answer, try again."

Harry's face slowly started turning red, his eyes grew stormy and narrowed, and ah, here comes another of his famous mood swings, from melancholy and thoughtful to angry.

"Are you trying to tell _me _that _you _know _my _godfather better than _I _do?"

"If you _truly _think that what Siri's wanted most is that than I obviously _do_ know him better than you."

"Really? I think you're wrong. You never even talk or write to Sirius, how would you know _anything_ about him?"

"No Harry, _you _rarely write or talk to him, you send him maybe one or two letters a _month_!" I paused and watched as he grew redder before I decided to drop the big surprise on him, "Did it ever occur to you that my so-called 'mysterious' friend was someone you knew, someone you _thought _you knew really well? You sat next to me all year Harry! You know we sent each other letters three, sometimes _four_, times a _week_!"

"_No_! You don't know anything about Sirius! He's not _your _godfather _or_ friend! You don't know anything!"

Harry was screaming by now.

"What does he want most Harry? What does he want most? He just wants his _life _back. He wants to wake up and be back at Hogwarts in his seventh year. He wants your parents to still be alive and to have just started _dating_. He wants to see your mum and Mya laughing and talking about homework assignments while they jog around the lake every morning. He wants to remember Wormtail before he betrayed everyone. He wants Remus to feel happy and safe and not have to worry about finding a job position where werewolves are accepted. He doesn't _just _want his name cleared; he wants his whole _life _back! Don't you get it Harry? It _doesn't matter _that he was cleared; there'll _always _be someone who doubts, someone who thinks he _did _murder all those people. And every time, every time someone on a street or in a shop avoids looking at him it'll kill him, every time Harry, _every time_." I wasn't shouting back at him yet but I was pretty close.

Harry, obviously, couldn't take what I was telling him. He turned even redder before yelling at me to shut up and stomping out of the compartment.

I took a shaky breath and sat back down. I hadn't even realized I had stood up.

"It must be a blow."

I jumped at the sound of Luna's voice; I suppose I should've known that we would've woken at least one person up with all our yelling.

Luna continued as if I hadn't reacted in any way, "It must be a big blow, finding out one of your friends knows your godfather, your only parent, a lot better than you do."

Okay, so I was a _little bit _cruel to Harry but, really, what was I supposed to do?

* * *

I managed to get a glance at a sunny, blue sky, before I was crushed into a hug and found myself looking into the shoulder of someone wearing a black robe. Knowing only one person alive that hugged me this tightly I giggled light-heartedly, something that was now almost habit whenever I was with Sirius, and wrapped my arms around his waist. He pulled back grinning and ruffled my hair. I scowled at him and ran a hand through my hair, trying to untangle it again. He laughed at my expression and enveloped me in another hug.

"Okay Siri," I said, laughing with my chin on his shoulder, "I missed you too but you're starting to suffocate me now."

He grinned again as he let go of me, "You better have missed me! I'd be insulted if you didn't!"

I giggled and smiled at him before he crushed me for the third time.

"Merlin it's good to have you back Mione."

I smiled softly and pulled back once I heard Harry yell out behind me.

"Hey Mione, you're not trying to steal my godfather, are you?"

I turned around, fully ready to make a sarcastic comment along the lines of yes-of-course-what-does-it-look-like-I'm-doing-don't-you-know-I-dig-older-men but immediately changed tactics when I saw him almost…_glaring_ at me. Guess he's still mad at me.

"Of course not," I replied instead, cheerfully, "why would I want Siri? He's old and smells like a dog."

"Hey!" Sirius exclaimed indignantly, "I'm _not_ old and I _don't _smell like a dog!" He grinned what I've dubbed his 'Marauder' grin and I knew there was a joke coming. "At least…I don't smell like a dog _half _the time."

The two of us broke into peals of laughter, again something I usually did around Sirius, while Harry looked on with a small, forced smile. Though he had seemed to relax a bit I had said 'of course not', the fact that I truly called Sirius 'Siri' to his face seemed to just make Harry angrier. Our easy teasing and jokes certainly didn't help to abate it.

The next five to ten minutes were filled with hugs, pats, handshakes and greetings. I hugged Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, said hello to the twins, hugged Remus, congratulated Tonks and Auror Shacklebolt on capturing Wormtail, greeted Professor Moody, somewhat nervously I'll admit, found out Percy had finally gotten engaged to Penelope Clearwater, the Ravenclaw girl a few years above Harry, Ron, and I that he had been dating, I'm pretty sure Mrs. Weasley said they were getting married next year but I'm not positive. I told Luna to have a good trip and said good-bye, Ginny and I hugged each other before we both realized who the other was and laughed about it.

It wasn't until my fourth hug with Sirius before I noticed that I couldn't see Mum or Dad anywhere. Suddenly Sirius was standing next to me and talking,

"They owled me yesterday. Said they were sorry and to tell you that they love you but their connection flight from New York to London got badly delayed and they probably wouldn't make it home until really early tomorrow. They asked if you could stay with Harry and me for a day or so. I said yes." He seemed to be waiting on my opinion of his decision but I didn't have a chance to say anything before he spoke again. "I'm not quite sure _how _they got an owl, now that I think about it." He added as an afterthought. I smiled vaguely for a minute.

"I told them how to get to Wizarding Wall Street in case they needed one."

Sirius chuckled. "Ever the prepared one, aren't you Mya?"

"Thanks," I replied softly, I smiled up at him a bit sadly and bent to pick up Crookshanks' carrying cage and my trunk. Sirius took my trunk from me and we followed the rest of our happy and chattering group out of the station.

A thought flitted through my head.

_Mya? Again?_

* * *

Sirius handed me a glass of cold chocolate milk and grinned apologetically.

"In the steaming hot weather we've been having I couldn't bring myself to heat hot chocolate."

"Don't worry about it." I smiled back at him and sat up cross-legged.

We were sitting on our normal, worn black couch in front of the fireplace at Number 12 Grimmauld Place. It was almost 1:30 in the morning and we were settling in for another of our long, traditional talks. Well, tradition whenever we spent a night in the same building. Instead of putting my feet in the middle of the couch like all the other times I tucked them under me.

I had the strangest feeling that Sirius had something heavy on his mind and I couldn't deny the fact that it was definitely _his _turn to get comfort from our weird… friendship. He hesitated for a brief second before lying down on the couch with his head in my lap. Running my fingers cautiously through his long hair I felt a tingly, déjà vu sensation run up and down my spine. Shaking it off I turned back to my study of the lines on his face.

"Well?" I asked him.

He looked unexpectedly nervous. "Did you…have a…fight…with Harry?"

I dropped my hands back to my sides and slowly tensed up.

We _weren't going to fight? Were we?_

Y'know, I really like the wallpaper borders in this room.

_We can't fight, I told him about Kevin. I told him everything. What if he gets really mad at me and tells someone? We _can't _fight!_

It's a bit strange, really, that this house, which belonged to almost all Slytherins, is decorated in just as many Ravenclaw colors as Slytherin ones.

I forced myself to focus on what was happening and finally answered Sirius after a few moments' silence. "Maybe, it wasn't really a _fight_, just…more of a…_disagreement_. A very loud disagreement."

"Tell me about it."

I was a bit surprised by his response but indulged him anyway.

"Well, first he said that he was worried about you. He said that since the thing you wanted most had happened-" here he frowned a bit but didn't say anything so I kept going, "-you should be…rolling on the floor laughing and smiling…is what he said, I think, but, since you weren't, he was worried about you." I paused for a minute to see if he would say anything before I continued.

"It was both _what _he said and _how _he said it that got to me…at one point he started going on about how 'people like me' wouldn't understand because I didn't 'really' know you at all. Then he said that he knew you a lot better than everyone else, including Remus who's almost always with you and me who writes to you almost every other day when he only bothers himself enough to write you once or twice a month. I thought that was more than a little egoistical and I kinda blew up at him for it." I smiled dryly and ran my fingers through his hair, again getting that déjà vu feeling.

"I was in a very Snapey mood too and I'm sure that didn't help anything either. In the end he was yelling at me to shut up and I was yelling at him that I obviously knew you better than him because I knew you just wanted your life back." I kept running my hands through his hair and watched him for ant signs of his reaction. It stayed silent for a good ten minutes before I heard him mutter a so-quiet-I-almost-didn't-hear-it thank you. I'm not quite sure if I imagined it or not. He took a deep breath and grinned, looking up at me.

"I'm excited."

"Really?" I asked him, "You should tell Harry, maybe then he'll stop worrying about you."

He chuckled. "Don't you want to know why?"

I shrugged. "Sure, why?"

"Because you're all going to get to meet Mya again when the school year starts up again."  
"Is she coming to teach?"

"Nope. She's not old enough yet."

Not old enough yet? I thought she was in Sirius' year at school. Wouldn't she already be old enough?

"I thought she was your age?" I asked, confused.

"She _was_, she's not now."

"That makes _no _sense. You never make sense when you talk about her, anything you say is always in some kind of code I don't get."

My response seemed to just make him more amused.

"She had a very mysterious past. I didn't know most of it till a little over three years ago."

"Really?"

He ignored my question.

"Do you know what it's like to finally be free to just…just pick you guys up from the train station in human form? Do you know what it's like to finally be able to walk down Diagon Alley and actually _talk _to people…and have them smile at me again…after 15 years of having everyone fear me?"

I smiled down at him, he reminded me so much of a little kid in a candy store. With his eyes closed he looked like he was basking in rays of an invisible sunshine that only he could feel.

"Nope, I can't say I know how that feels."

A corner of his mouth lifted up into a half smile.

"I went to the Apothecary with Remus this morning, we ran into Diana, Diana Gudgeon, she's Davy Gudgeon's twin sister, y'know, the one who almost lost his eye because of the Whomping Willow?"

I nodded.

"She said hi to us, to _both _of us. She shook our hands and told me…she told me she was glad I finally got out…that she had had the hardest time picturing me betraying Lily and James and…she said she was sorry that in the end she had been able to. She offered to treat the two of us to butterbeers at the Three Broomsticks sometime. Told us to owl her when we had the time…then she said she was sorry again and left."

The awe and astonishment in Sirius' voice made me feel immensely grateful for Diana Gudgeon and a wave of gratitude washed over me.

"So…you have a date, huh?" I teased him lightly and mocked a long-suffering sigh, "I suppose I'll have to take the place of your mother and ask Miss Diana Gudgeon what her intentions are."

"M-Mione!" he exclaimed as I started laughing, "You will _not _freak Diana out! Besides, it's _not _a date, we're just having a butterbeer."

"_Sure_," I nodded knowingly even though he probably can't see me, "That's what _everyone _says and then look at what happens, teenage pregnancies!"

He hit my knee and looked up at me.

"That's not very funny, but it doesn't matter anyways, it's _not _a date, she invited Remus too, remember?"

The look on his face dared me to come up with a response to that one. I bit my lip for a minute before a line from a story that I read a long time ago popped into my head.

"Well, I guess everybody _does_ have a kinky side."

"Hermione Jane Granger!"

He looked shocked that I'd say something like that. I managed to make shushing noises in between fits of laughter, "You sounded like my _mother_, and you'll wake everyone up if you keep shouting!"

"I couldn't help it! It's not my fault that was completely uncalled for!"

Even footsteps on the floor above us failed to make my laughter quiet down. Now it was Sirius' turn to make shushing noises.

"Come on, get up to bed," he pushed me gently towards the door, "you need more sleep if you're this hysterical, and tomorrow, I'm going to ask Remus if he spiked my chocolate milk bottle. He's supposed to be the responsible one, it's _my _job to spike drinks."

He looked so put-out that he hadn't gotten to his chocolate milk before the Professor I doubled over in laughter all over again.

"Up to bed Mya."

He kissed my forehead good night and nudged me up the stairs.

"Good night."

"N-night!"

I had to cover my mouth so I didn't make any noise as I crept down the hallway. I just can't stop laughing! And I have _no _idea why I'm so giddy! Avoiding the bathroom where a light was on I slipped through the door to the room that I usually share with Ginny.

Still smiling widely I collapsed on my bed, closed my eyes, said good night to Kevin, and curled up to sleep.

* * *

"Hermione! Hermione wake up!"

I opened my eyes to see startling green ones looking straight in them. I closed my eyes quickly.

"Ah, Harry, back up!"

I pushed on his chest with one hand while I used the other one to help myself sit up and lean back against the wall. Opening my eyes more slowly this time I saw Harry grinning widely at the foot of my bed, lightened up by early rays of sunshine drifting through the now-open window.

I guess Harry's not mad at me anymore. What's he doing here anyway? I glanced over at the magical alarm clock on the bedside table-8:40-too early to get up if you went to bed as late as I did.

"Whaddya want Harry?" I stifled a yawn. My voice still sounds sleepy, hell, I _am _still sleepy.

"Guess what?"

He sounds excited.

"What?"

"It's official!"

It's official it's too early? Yeah, I know.

"What's official?"

"I never have to go back to the Dursleys!"

"Really?" This is a surprise, "What about all the ancient magic stuff about family blood that Professor Dumbledore did to protect you?"

"God, Hermione, isn't there _anytime _you don't remember _everything_? Even in the morning you're a genius!"

I smiled a bit uncertainly and apologetically but Harry ignored me and continued on.

"I meant that I never have to spend more than one minute there! Ever! The magic wears out as soon as I finish school anyways so I only have to spend a minute there this summer and then I'm free of them! Forever! Can you believe it? Only sixty seconds!"

I've been best friends with Harry for years. It's so easy to forget about our fight yesterday and slip back into that role. Besides, he looks so happy. How can I possibly force myself to make him feel bad?

"That's great, Harry."

I opened my arms and he immediately dove into the hug.

"And your parents owled to say they'd be here by 8:45," he pulled back grinning as I swore.

"Shit, get out Harry. I have to get dressed."

Opening my trunk and digging through it for one of the few muggle outfits I always brought to Hogwarts with me I heard Harry laugh at my frenzied movements.

"Get out Harry! I'm getting dressed!"

I threw a pair of rolled up white socks at him which he caught and threw back before standing up.

"I'm going, I'm going."

"And don't laugh at me!" I called out to him as he closed my door.

"Can't help it Mione!" Was the answer he shouted back at me through the wood, "You're just too hilarious!"

I heard a car horn come from downstairs when I was pulling on a blue tank top. Crap, crap, crap became my breathless mantra as I tried to force my trunk shut again and dashed down the stairs.

Sirius, Harry, and Remus were standing in front of the living room's front window overlooking the lawn.

"Honestly Sirius," Remus was the first to notice me, "you need to work on cleaning this place up, the first female who spends the night in almost a month and she can't wait to leave the next morning."

"Ha ha ha, Moony, very funny."

By now the three of them had turned around to look at me. I smiled.

"Bye."

"Bye My-"

"Bye Hermione-"

"Have a good summer Mione-"

"Bye."

I hugged Sirius then Harry then Remus then Sirius again and opened the door.

"Ermynee!"

The four of us turned to see my almost six-years-old sister Artemis with her car window down and waving at me.

"Hey little Missy!"

"Who do you think that is?"

"Hermione's sister, obviously."

"Hermione has a sister?" Even though I can barely hear Harry's voice over Missy's happy squeals I can tell he sounds shocked.

"Yeah, didn't you know? Her names Artemis…"

The rest of his sentence was lost to me as I finished stowing my trunk and ducked into the car, slamming the door behind me.

"Bye!"

I grinned as the three of them echoed me and waved back. 


	8. 7:Summer Letters

Eulogizing Memoirs

Amelie Rae Lanhoss

**[A/N-FINALLY! I spent _all _of yesterday trying to post this. Grrrr. Anyways, the original A/N-Review responses in my bio; Okay, so this is late, once again. Y'know, if I hadn't left for the weekend this would be close to on time! Oh well, I promise I'll make it up to everyone tomorrow. Anyone who plans on going to the Sleeping Bear Dunes: Bring lots of water; buy a Dune Buggy; go when it's 75 Fahrenheit or below; go after it's rained so the sand is packed hard; and make sure you have strong leg muscles. This chapter is for stangguy, because I feel so guilty for making you cry, and, as usual, in loving memory always, to K.M.L.**

**-C.R.C.]**

Chapter 7-Summer Letters

_Hermione Granger_

_Granger Residence, Muggle London_

_June 21_

_Dear Mione,_

_Did I tell you about the time Mya and I had a race to see who could swim out the farthest in the lake at Hogwarts? It was hilarious, almost everything with Mya was hilarious. Anyways, it came about because of a sort-of dare. The six of us(me, Peter, Remus, James, Lily and Mya) were sitting in the common room laughing because, well I don't really remember why but Lily had just agreed to go on a date with James so pretty much everyone was happy, Lily was blushing and everything, and then Remus made a joke about her and James, which made us all laugh, at least I think that was what we were laughing at. Anyways, Lily said something about when were me and Mya going to hook up. I was all for joking about it and asking her out there but before I could say anything she said something about copying Lily in our 5th year and telling me she'd rather date the Giant Squid than me if I ever asked her out. I told her she should start dating the Giant Squid now. Next thing I know she's saying she'll swim out to the middle of the lake if I promise to dive in after and swim out with her. James and Remus and Peter kept saying things like 'oh no Sirius is gonna let a girl beat him at something' and stuff like that, how was I supposed to say no? In all honesty I never expected her to actually go through with it, usually she was like Lily and refused to break rules, but she did go through with it, I was pretty surprised but dove in anyways. She said swimming was one of the things she was best at and challenged me to a race, 'if I was man enough'. We were pretty much neck and neck, even though I'm sure she remembers it differently. We only got about three quarters of the way to the middle of the lake before Samolson (Potions teacher) caught us, he was furious! By then there was a whole crowd of people watching our race. Samolson made us get out and started yelling at us. At one point he asked us (sarcastically of course) what we were thinking. I'll never forget his face when Mya said she was 'obviously thinking about swimming', I swear, the man blew at least a dozen blood vessels! He turned so red. Anyways in the end we both got two nights worth of detention scrubbing out cauldrons and we each lost 20 points but it was worth it. Don't know why that memory was stuck in my head when I wrote this but, it was, so I figured I'd tell it to you. How was your trip home? You went in a CKAR, right? Harry says there's a c in ckar but I think it looks sorta weird and Moony's not so sure. Figures, the only Marauder to actually take notes in Muggle Studies and not sleep doesn't remember anything from the classes. _

Be nice Padfoot!

_Oy! Get your own damn letter Remus! _

Ignore Sirius, Hermione, he's just grumpy because I drank the last of the coffee

_my coffee! _

Oh grow up Padfoot.

_Anyways, like I was saying before I was so RUDELY interrupted, REMUS! Ok, he's gone now. And I don't remember what I was talking about, oh yeah, ckars. Think I was done talking about them though. Guess what? Y'know my old flying motorcycle? Turns out Hagrid kept it, and now that I'M FREE! I won't stop grinning whenever I say that. Right, well he kept it and now I get it back! You have to come over again sometime this summer and I'll take you for a ride, Harry won't come anymore, says he likes keeping his head attached to his neck. I think I scared him when I took him out with me. So yeah, when are you coming? No pressure or anything. How's your family by the way? Didn't you mention something about how they had to visit some Muggle doctors because they thought Artemis might be sick? Let me know alright? About everything._

_Love,_

_Sirius_

I smiled fondly at Sirius' letter, after what my parents had told me I _really _needed something to cheer me up. Turns out the experts in New York think Missy's developed a type of heart condition. Ironically enough the same one that…killed Kevin and I am so _not _going to cry. No, no, no, no, no, no, okay, yes, I'm crying. Can you believe it? He's been _dead_. _Dead_. He's been dead for 6 years now, 6 fucking years, and I still cry over it easily.

"Damnit."

I hate it when I start crying. I really, _really _hate it. Makes me feel weak. _Urgh. _Ouch. Shit. Okay, note to self, do _not _kick bed, it _will _kick back. Or, it'll feel like it kicked back.

"Hermione?"

"Yeah, Mum?" I hastily wiped my eyes.

"Is everything okay? Your father and I heard a loud sound."

Why does she sound closer than downstairs this time?

Hearing a knock on my bedroom door I spun around in time to see my mum walking in backwards with a tray holding tea and shortbread cookies in her hands. I sat quickly at my desk and smiled at her when she faced me.

"Just answering a letter, Mum."

"Oh good, dear," she looks somewhat relieved, what did she think I'd be doing? Drugs? Committing suicide?

"I thought maybe we could talk about Artemis, I think she's taking this very well."

Of course she's taking this well. She doesn't know it kills people. She was only three months old when Kev died. The only time she ever sees him is in the picture on my bedside table. How could she remember him when she was only three months old? I shouldn't blame her; it's impossible for her _to _remember him. Doesn't mean it hurts any less.

"Now, sweetie, I know it hurt you when your little friend Kevin moved on,"

_Moved on? _She makes it sound like he was a favorite Barbie doll or something that accidentally got flushed down the toilet. Or like he just transferred schools. Makes me want to shake her and say 'uh, hello, he's dead Mum!' Deep breath in Mione. Sit next to her calmly on the bed. Wait a minute; Mum's still talking isn't she?

"But, honey, you have to understand, just because your little friend died doesn't mean Artemis will."

That's right, we looked at the statistics, didn't we? What did they say again? 1 in 25million people who get it die from it? I knew someone who got unlucky once. Wouldn't it be ironic if I knew the 2 out of 50 million? Breathe, Mione, Mum's _trying _to make you feel better.

"I'm okay Mum, I was just writing a letter."

I pasted a fake smile and motioned towards the windowsill where Hedwig was perched. Mum beamed back at me before following my hand gesture.

"Oooh! That's your friend Harry's owl, isn't it?"

"Yup, that's Hedwig."

"Y'know," here she paused to smooth out an invisible wrinkle in my comforter, "I've always thought you two would make a cute pair-" _cute pair? What is she talking about? _"-of course, if you chose Ron your father and I would be behind the both of you also-" _if I 'chose' Ron? What-wait, she doesn't think I'm _dating _Harry, does she? _"-it's just whoever makes you happier-" _oh god, she _does _think I'm dating Harry!_

"Mum!" I interrupted her, mortified. _How could she think I'm dating Harry? That's disgusting! _"I am _not_, I repeat, _not _dating Harry! Or Ron!" Might as well mention that too, before she gets any more ideas. She made a hand sign of zipping her lips and patted my hand.

"Don't worry, dear, I won't tell your father. I don't think he'll ever like the idea of you sleeping with a man, even after you're married! Your father and I dated secretly for a month and a half, did you know that? I understand why you like the secrecy so much, it made everything hotter, and it seemed to spice everything up. Those were the days. Everything calms down after you start having children."

Oh. My. God. I am _not _having this conversation with my _mother_!

"Mum! I am _not _dating _anyone_!"

She's winking at me. Why, the hell, is she winking at me?

"I told you not to worry, dear. I just wanted to check up on you after the news but it seems like you'll hold out."

She's winking at me again. And Hedwig. Bloody hell.

"Supper in 15 minutes, I'll see you downstairs!"

I think it took me a full five minutes before I was out of shock enough to move back to my desk chair.

I shook my head of the disgusting mental picture of my parents…EW. Shuddering a bit I grabbed a sheet of lined notebook paper, a muggle pen, and an envelope.

_Dear Sirius,_

_My mother, is disgusting, I've decided that's a scientific fact. She just left my room after telling me that she and Dad dated secretly for a month and a half and that the secrecy made everything 'hotter' and 'spiced' it up. I am trying so very desperately not to puke my guts out right now. Ew. I keep getting this mental picture and it's just, ew. Enough said. Anyways, Missy has a heart condition. Same one that killed Kevin. I'd really rather not talk or write or think about it so. I'll keep you posted though, and tell you if anything changes. Mum and Dad are alright, did I mention yet that Mum completely grossed me out? Yes I think I did, but oh well, it was truly traumatizing. Oh, and do you know why she brought that up anyways? Because she thinks Harry and I are secretly dating. I told her, over and over, that I'm not dating anyone, but she wouldn't listen to me. Anyways, you sound like you had a lot of fun with Mya, you told me we'd all meet her this school year, right? In the beginning or the end?_

_There is no k in car, by the way, and yes, the trip home wasn't bad, only an hour or so. So, what'd you do to scare Harry so much that he won't get back on your motorcycle? I'll have to ask my parents if I can go back this summer. They'll probably say yes if I tell them I'll go to Diagon Alley with you guys, I think it kind of scares them to go through the Leaky Cauldron, and I know they're a bit uncomfortable watching magic. Of course they're both logical muggles so the thought of defying the laws of nature with a short stick makes them shudder anyways. I'll let you know later but I can probably come for the last week of the holidays. Can we pretty please go to Diagon Alley then? Mum's calling me for supper now so I gotta go. Please say yes!_

_Love-_

_Hermione_

"Hermione Jane Granger! Supper! _Now_!"

I rolled my eyes at the navy blue wall in front of me, slipped the letter into the envelope, scribbled '12 Grimmauld Place' on it, and tied it to Hedwig's leg.

"For Sirius."

I watched Hedwig fly off in the early evening sky for a few seconds before opening my door and heading towards the stairs.

"Coming, Mum!"

* * *

_Hermione Granger_

_Granger Residence, Muggle London_

_June 26_

_Dear Mione,_

_Meet Snuffles, he's a Tengmalms (Boreal) Owl, I'm copying this down from the tag, by the way. Apparently you can tell he's young because he's still sort of fluffy. You should've seen the baby ones, they were like little balls of black fluff. Anyways, they're supposed to live 7 to 8 years and not get much bigger than this, only 20 to 30 cm in length. They're some of the smartest though, even though they're a bit slower than most(because they're so small) and they can't carry heavy stuff by themselves. Granted no owl can carry something really heavy by itself but...anyways, don't think I have anything to add to that. Sure we can go to Diagon Alley last week of the holidays, Harry, Remus and me are supposed to meet up with the Weasley's at the Leaky Cauldron August 29th, we already have rooms booked for the weekend, come spend it with us, you can share a room with Ginny Weasley again. Write back and let me know alright? I'm so sorry about Missy, Remus says he's sorry too, Harry says he wants to know why you didn't tell him and Ron about her. Apparently he wrote to Ron and found out you hadn't told him either. I think they're sort of mad at you. And you have to come to Mya's 'Welcome Back' party. Actually, it's a party for Mya and the guy she came with, Drake, they didn't get along at first but they ended up friends after a week or so. Willem Danford owled us to tell us about the party. He was in our year at Hogwarts and was one of the tons of guys who had crushes on Mya when she was there. Can't say I blame them, but, I DID NOT/DO NOT HAVE A CRUSH ON MYA! Just thought I'd make that clear before you let your imagination run away. Anyways, the party's in early October and I'll try to get Dumbledore to let you and Harry and Ron and Ginny and your new friend out of school so you can come and see Mya re-meet everyone. It'll be wicked, I promise you that. Another guy with a crush on her, Frodo Benedict, wrote down all the bits of songs she used to sing, when he found the list he looked up the songs, mainly muggle tunes, but, that's what they're going to play at the party, all her favorites in 7th year. I just realized the 'bits of songs' part might sound confusing. It was this thing she did. She called it an 'intimidation tactic', I think. Whenever the little group of Slytherins (the ones who thought they were the coolest) started bothering us she'd say two or three lines of completely random lyrics. The (not so) poor bastards got so confused most of the time that they just looked at her strangely and muttered stuff about crazy witches while they were walking off. She scared them, not that they'll ever admit it. A secret? She scared the shit out of us too, the first time she did it. It didn't help that she started laughing hysterically as soon as they were gone. We were pretty worried about her until she explained it to us. Right then, so, I'll bring my motorcycle (which I've just now decided to officially name 'Cyke') to Diagon Alley and take you for a spin. Let me know if you can meet up with us there, OK? Last weekend in August, the 29th, 30th, and 31st. Don't worry about finding a way to get to King's Cross, Arthur got us all Ministry cars again. I've got to go now, my night to cook, I think I'll make spaghetti._

_Love,_

_Sirius

* * *

_

Hermione Granger

Granger Residence, Muggle London

June 27

Dear Hermione,

I wrote to Ron last week, Sirius told Lupin and me about your sister being sick and everything so I wrote Ron right away in case you forgot to tell him yourself. He was as surprised as I was when I found out you had a sister. He didn't know either, must've just slipped your mind, huh? Okay, I'm jumping ahead of myself and I apologize. Maybe it's the fact that I just found out my godfather knows more about my so-called best friend than I do. Why didn't you tell us about her anyway?

Everyone's meeting up right before school starts, last weekend of the holidays, Diagon Alley, can you make it? No hard feelings, eh? But I suggest you start approaching all of your owl post with a five-foot stick and a fire extinguisher, Ron says he wants to know why the hell you didn't tell him about your sister, he was talking about sending a Howler last time I flooed him. Write back!

-Harry

* * *

**Hermione Granger**

**Granger Residence, Muggle London**

**June 27**

**Hermione-**

**YOU HAVE A SISTER!? WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?**

**Love,**

**Ron

* * *

**

_Harry Potter_

_Number 12 Grimmauld Place, London_

_June 28_

_Dear Harry,_

_I'm just used to Missy being around. She was born a year before I went to Hogwarts so she was never a real piece of news. Besides, you know me; I spend more time with books than real people. Sorry! Diagon Alley? Sure, I'll see you at Fortescue's on August 29th. No hard feelings. Oh! And Ron didn't send me a Howler after all. He just wrote in all capital letters._

_See you in August,_

_Hermione

* * *

_

_Ron Weasley_

_The Burrow, Ottery St. Catchpole_

_June 28_

_Dear Ron,_

_I'm sorry! Missy just hasn't really been anything to talk about, and I spend more time in the library than with other people anyway, so I don't talk much to begin with. When I have nothing new to say, what's the point, right? Except for schoolwork. I thought I'd add that in before you said anything. I'm going up to Diagon Alley for the last weekend in August, by the way._

_Sorry again,_

_Hermione

* * *

_

_Sirius Black_

_Number 12 Grimmauld Place, London_

_June 28_

_Dear Sirius,_

_Snuffles is very well behaved for a young owl, you should be proud of him. Mum and Dad said yes to Diagon Alley, I think they were more than a little relieved that they wouldn't have to go to be perfectly honest. So-see you at Fortescue's on August 29th at noon? I hope Professor Dumbledore will let us out of school to meet Mya. And Drake. Wow, I think that's the first time I've actually said I hope we get out of school. You're a bad, bad influence Sirius Black! And I wouldn't worry about your crush on Mya, everybody has a crush at one time or another that isn't reciprocated. Wow, reciprocated, that's a really big word. Good thing Ron isn't here, his brain cells would probably overheat and explode. Okay, I'm being mean and I sound like a ten year old now so I'll stop._

_I can't wait to meet Mya. And Drake, although you haven't mentioned him before. Frodo Benedict? The guy who wrote down what Mya sang? He sounds kinda stalker-ish if you ask me. But then again, you didn't ask my opinion so I suppose I'm just rambling to someone who doesn't care. I would've loved to see you looking scared. Oh well, hopefully someone'll bring pictures. Is it my turn to tell a secret now? Guess what? Professor McGonagall convinced the Ministry to let me have a Time-Turner again! That means I get to take every NEWT! But I'm skipping the Divination one, of course. Anyways, you can't tell anyone! Strictly speaking you shouldn't know about it yourself but Professor McGonagall doesn't have to know I told you._

_Um, um, um. I think that's it. Missy has a hospital appointment that we have to leave for in five minutes so I should probably sign off here. See you and Cyke in London._

_Love-_

_Hermione_

_p.s.-hope you had fun cooking. I'm sorry, I keep picturing you in one of those frilly pink aprons muggle housewives in the 50s wore and I can't stop laughing._

_p.p.s.-I just remembered, what new friend? I don't have a new friend.

* * *

_

Hermione Granger

Granger Residence, Muggle London

June 30

Dear Hermione,

Fortescue's on the 29th? Check. What time though? Sirius and I are leaving for Disney World in like three seconds so I have to go now. Sirius said he's always wanted a 'full muggle' vacation, and I've always been curious about Disney so we're visiting the parks for a week and then going on the cruise for another week. Unfortunately a 'full muggle' vacation means no owl post. I'll try to find an Internet phone directory though and look you up. Do those even exist? Sirius is calling me now so I gotta go. Write you in two weeks!

-Harry

* * *

**Hermione Granger**

**Granger Residence, Muggle London**

**July 1**

**Hermione-**

**You completely read my mind about the schoolwork thing. Damn. Harry's at Disney World with Padfoot, did you hear? So, Ginny's doing this survey on what attracts a girl to a guy and she wants to know what you find attractive. Mail it to me and I'll give it to her. See you in Diagon Alley in August? Oh, wait. Mum wants to know if you want to spend all of August with us. Lupin and Sirius and Harry and Luna'll be here too. So, will you come?**

**Love,**

**Ron

* * *

**

_Hermione Granger_

_Granger Residence, Muggle London_

_June 30_

_Mione, dear,_

_Me and Harry are leaving for the States in an hour and we still have a gazillion things to do so I'll keep this short. I think Harry's planning on writing to you too so you might know some of this already. First off, the two of us are going to spend a week in the parks at Disney World and then a week on the Disney World Cruise. It's completely muggle so no owl post but from July 1st to the 8th (before noon) call 1-800-1-DISNEY, which ends up being 1-800-134-7639, and then ask for Sirius and Harry Black in Room 672 (I think we're in Room 672 but not quite sure). If you're confused: No, Harry did not change his last name but the reservation idiot refused to put two different last names on the room card so for two weeks Harry will be Harry James Black. Congrats on that thing I'm not supposed to know about. I'm so proud of you. How'd Missy's appointment go? Wish I had more time to write but I don't._

_Love,_

_Sirius

* * *

_

_Ron Weasley_

_The Burrow, Ottery St. Catchpole_

_July 4_

_Dear Ron,_

_Mum and Dad will drop me off at the Leaky Cauldron August 1st at 10 in the morning. Can I floo to your place from there at 10? Tell your family I said hi._

_Write back,_

_Hermione_

_p.s.-Gin: weird kind of survey. I suppose he'd have to be funny and good with cars. And, of course, he'd have to be smart.

* * *

_ **Hermione Granger**

**Granger Residence, Muggle London**

**July 5**

**Hermione-**

**Mum said that's fine so August 1st it is, Lupin and Sirius and Harry are set to come an hour before you. Ginny says thanks. Everyone here says hello back. I think that's it. See you then!**

**Love,**

**Ron

* * *

**

_Ron Weasley_

_The Burrow, Ottery St. Catchpole_

_July 7_

_Dear Ron,_

_See you then!_

_Say hi to everyone from me,_

_Hermione

* * *

_

_Hermione Granger_

_Granger Residence, Muggle London_

_July 16_

_Dear Mione,_

_I won't ever forget the look on Harry's face when you phoned us the day after we got there. Priceless, you gave me one of my best and most cherished Disney World memories. I think I might've said that on the phone but I'm not quite sure. We're back home, by the way, in case you hadn't noticed because of this letter, we are. Have they found a heart donor for Missy yet? You did say they were starting to look, right? Wasn't just my mind making something up again? Anyways, Harry and me had fun, we'll have to stay up and talk sometime in August at the Burrow. I'll tell you all about it. I am not a bad influence! I resent that you'd say that. It's not my fault I bring out a more tricky and scheming side of you. Almost my whole family was in Slytherin, you can't blame me for having some Slytherin-like qualities. _

_You weren't rambling to someone who doesn't care, by the way. And don't say that anyway because someone will always care. Well, that was my two humanitarian sentences of the decade._

_Anyways, can't wait till August. Did the doctors get Missy's test results back yet? I know you don't want to talk about it but let me know, OK? I worry._

_Did I say that I'm proud of you yet? For that thing I don't know about? Well, in case I didn't, I am. Proud of you, that is. _

_If Cyke wasn't an inanimate object I'm sure he'd say hi. See you at the Burrow._

_Love,_

_Sirius_

_P.S. Gee, thanks, your support in my cooking ventures is overwhelming. (Moony dictated that to me)_

_P.P.S. Trust me on this one, by the time Mya and Drake's party rolls around you'll have a new friend. Actually, you'll become friends because of Mya and Drake.

* * *

_

_Sirius Black_

_Number 12 Grimmauld Place, London_

_July 18_

_Dear Siri,_

_Great to know you had fun with Harry at Disney World. I'm happy I could give you one of your 'best and most cherished Disney World memories', if you need someone to call and scare Harry again let me know and I'll do it._

_Test results showed up today, we're actually headed for the car to take us to the hospital. I'll mail this right before I get in._

_Your last letter was so touching. The part about someone always caring nearly made me cry, I felt all warm and fuzzy inside._

_Okay, I'm sorry, I just couldn't resist. I'm proud of me too! Because of the thing that you don't know about. _

_Two humanitarian sentences in a decade? You really do have Slytherin-like qualities._

_If Cyke wasn't an inanimate object and he said hi I'd say hi back._

_I gotta go now, we're leaving and Missy's pulling on my arm, as you can tell by my handwriting._

_See you in August. Can't wait either._

_Love-_

_Mione_

_p.s.-hi Remus_

_p.p.s.-because of Mya and Drake? I trust you.

* * *

_

_Hermione Granger_

_Granger Residence, Muggle London_

_July 19_

_Dear Mione,_

_How're the test results?_

_Love,_

_Sirius_

p.s.-Hello Hermione

_P.P.S. I trust you too.

* * *

_

_Sirius Black_

_Number 12 Grimmauld Place, London_

_July 20_

_Dear Siri-_

_Somewhat better than we'd hope. Mum still needs to be consoled though._

_Love-_

_Hermione_

_p.s.-how are you Remus?_

_p.p.s.-thank you, I feel so special.

* * *

_

_Hermione Granger_

_Granger Residence, Muggle London_

_July 23_

_Dear Mione,_

_That's good to know. Just how good are the test results? Sorry it took this long to write back. Miss you. See you in August._

_Love,_

_Sirius_

p.s.-I'm not doing too bad, Hermione, and you? How is Artemis?

_P.P.S. Glad you feel special. Do you feel warm and fuzzy too?_

* * *

_Sirius Black_

_Number 12 Grimmauld Place, London_

_July 25_

_Dear Siri-_

_The doctors think Missy has a year before it gets serious enough that she'll need a heart transplant. Mum and Dad are scared to wait that long and want her to have it as soon as possible. I really don't want to think about this. See you in a week, I'll tell you more then._

_Love-_

_Mione_

_p.s.-that's good to hear, I'm fine, Missy is doing better than we had hoped._

_p.p.s.-only on the inside. not on the outside.

* * *

_

_Hermione Granger_

_Granger Residence, Muggle London_

_July 27_

_Dearest Mione,_

_Did you think about taking her to St. Mungo's? I'm sorry, I know you don't want to think or talk about it. See you in 4 days._

_Love,_

_Sirius_

p.s.-The St. Mungo's thing was my idea. I'm glad Artemis is doing better.

_P.P.S. I hope not on the outside. Except for the fuzzy part on your head.

* * *

_

_Sirius Black_

_Number 12 Grimmauld Place, London_

_July 28_

_Dear Siri-_

_She's a muggle, or, at least, we think she's a muggle. And anyway, it's not a magical malady or injury so we're not sure if they'd treat her. I am going to ask Madam Pomfrey though, when we go back to school. See you in 3 days._

_Love-_

_Mione_

_p.s.-thank you, it was a good idea but I don't think it'll work. I'm glad she's better than we thought too, everyone is._

_p.p.s.-my head is fuzzy?

* * *

_

_Hermione Granger_

_Granger Residence, Muggle London_

_July 29_

_Dear Mione,_

_Oh well, it was worth a shot. You should still ask Pomfrey though. See you in 2 days._

_Love,_

_Sirius_

p.s.-That's a shame.

_P.P.S. Your hair is fuzzy. Sort of. And it's on your head.

* * *

_

_Sirius Black_

_Number 12 Grimmauld Place, London_

_July 30_

_Dear Siri-_

_It was, wasn't it? I'll still ask Madam Pomfrey at school. See you after tomorrow._

_Love-_

_Mione_

_p.s.-it is, it really is_

_p.p.s.-my hair? is fuzzy? well, I already knew it was on my head but thanks in case I forget.

* * *

_

_Hermione Granger_

_Granger Residence, Muggle London_

_July 31_

_Mione, dear,_

_See you tomorrow_

_Love,_

_Sirius_

p.s.-See you at the Weasley's.

_P.P.S. You already knew it was on your head? Wow, I only knew mine was on my head after James pointed it out to me.

* * *

_

_Sirius Black_

_The Burrow, Ottery St. Catchpole_

_August 1_

_Siri-_

_See you in 20 minutes_

_-Mione_

_p.s.-see you there, Remus_

_p.p.s.-ha ha ha! I win! I wrote last! (yes, I already knew my hair was on my head)_


	9. 8:Shopping And Time Warps

Eulogizing Memoirs

Amelie Rae Lanhoss

**A/N-YES, I'M ALIVE! I was completely _overwhelmed_ at the number of reviews I got for the last chapter. _Overwhelmed_. You guys are the greatest, I now have a gigantic list of people who deserve chapter dedications. There's a long story behind why I posted today, full of excuses and the flu, unfortunately. Anyways, I had originally planned on combining Hermione's time-traveling with her first day at Old Hogwarts but then Flaignhan wrote this really nice, long review, hoping that there would be a nice long chapter about the stay at the Weasley's and I felt _so _guilty for barely even _mentioning_ it that I had to go back and add stuff and re-edit _Shopping And Time Warps_. Anyways, review responses in my bio; This chapter is for Flaignhan, obviously, and, in loving memory always, for K.M.L.**

**-C.R.C.**

Chapter 8-Shopping And Time Warps

"Shhh!"

"I can't help it!"

"You'll wake everyone up!"

"I can't help it!"

"There isn't even anything funny!"

"_God, _this brings back memories."

Sirius and I both turned in the direction of the voice, Sirius still shaking with silent laughter. Squinting into the darkness I could make out a male-looking outline that seemed a lot like-

"Professor Lupin?"

"Remus, Hermione, Remus, remember?"

I smiled shakily, a bit nervous even though he probably couldn't see me.

"Yes, sir."

There was a beat of silence before Sirius broke it.

"What memories, Moony?"

"All the times at Hogwarts when Mya was with us and we were pulling one of the pranks she had come up with, you could never stop laughing just imagining the Slytherins' faces and she was always telling you to be quiet or we'd get caught."

"We only got caught _once _because of me."

Remus snorted disbelievingly, "Sure Padfoot, keep telling yourself that, no doubt Mya will say something different when she comes back."

Sirius stuck his tongue out at him.

"No way, My'll be on _my _side."

Remus snorted again, "Right, well, I'm going to sleep, don't stay up _too_ late talking."

He knows we talk? But-How could he know we talk? The only way he could know is if Sirius told him, I sure as hell didn't. Siri wouldn't tell, though, right? He-He _promised _he wouldn't tell anyone. He _promised_. And I can definitely trust Sirius, right? I can trust him, can't I?

I forced myself to take a deep breath. _Relax,_ Mione, he probably just got asked by Remus one night about where he went and said we talked. That's probably what happened, _relax_ Hermione. But-Still-

"Sirius?"

I tugged on his wrist a bit, nervous.

"Have you- have you told Pr-Remus about-about our talks?"

"Hmm? Told Moony? Only when we first started talking."

He stopped rummaging around the Weasley's magical refrigerator and turned slowly towards me.

"I promised, Hermione, remember? I'm not someone who breaks their promises. You can trust me, y'know."

I nodded a bit too quickly, he sounded somewhat hurt.

"I know, I was just…checking," I finished lamely, "I'm sorry."

He looked surprised.

"What for?"

"For-for not believing you?" I tried tentatively.

By now he had pulled out two glasses and a jug of chocolate milk and set them on the kitchen table.

"Silly, Mione," he looked at me curiously for a moment before continuing, "C'mere."

Okay…this is kind of…strange, I guess, would be the word. But, then again, it's also very Siri-like. Well, Siri-like in a mysterious kind of way, like when he's talking about Mya. I think I'm confusing myself now so I suppose I'll just walk over to Sirius and…be hugged. I didn't expect that, I think, since Kevin, I've kinda gotten unused to getting hugs on a regular basis. But it's still nice, so I'll hug him back…

And now he's murmuring into my hair that it's alright.

And now he's kissing the top of my head.

And he's hugging me again.

And now he's pouring me a glass of chocolate milk.

And now everything _is_ okay, because he's my best friend again, and I won't ever doubt him.

* * *

"Eeek!" 

I'm somewhat ashamed to say that the very Ron-just-saw-a-spider/Parvati-and-Lavender-just-met-their-favorite-singer-like shriek that woke everyone in the Burrow who was still sleeping past 9 on the 26th of August came from me. But! I had a _very _good reason for doing so.

"I got Head Girl!"

"Oh! I'm _so _proud of you! You earned it Hermione! Congratulations!"

I happily let Mrs. Weasley give me a bone-crushing hug, a wide smile on my face that only lessened a tiny bit at the realization that _I CAN'T BREATHE!_

"M-Mrs. Weasley-"

"Oh! I'm so sorry, dear."

"Where's the 'ire?" Ron asked as he stumbled sleepily down the stairs.

"Show more support Ronald Weasley! Your best friend just became the Head Girl!"

"So?"

I hugged Mrs. Weasley one last time before she could start shouting at Ron and said, "I'm going to go tell Ginny!"

"Alright, dear." She smiled in her motherly way at me before turning back to Ron.

"I can_not_ believe you Ronald Bilius Weasley! Your best friend! Your _best friend_, just learned that she's going to be the new _Head Girl _at _Hogwarts_ and _all_ you can say is 'so?' You should be _ashamed_ of yourself Ronald!"

I waited until Mrs. Weasley was deeply immersed in reprimanding Ron before I turned at the stairs and walked quickly into the living room. Sirius was still lying under a blanket on one of the couches and mumbling incoherently to Pr-Remus who obviously found whatever he was saying funny.

"Come here, Hermione, I'll let you see if you can make him get up any better than I can."

"Okay," I didn't know he had already noticed me.

"Get up Siri! Guess what? I'm Head Girl this year!"

He groaned and swatted at the hands that were shaking him before turning on his side to face me with his eyes still closed.

"I know, Mione, I heard you yell it to Molly the first time when you woke me up and I'm-"

"Ah!" I let out a little surprised yelp as one of his hands closed around my wrist and jerked down quickly so I ended up kneeling next to the couch. He opened his eyes a crack and leaned in to kiss my cheek before dropping his head back onto his pillow.

"-_so_ proud of you and congratulations and everything but I just _really_ want to sleep okay?"

He squeezed my hand a last time and rolled over again.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Remus mouthing for me to just agree with Sirius. Looking at him quizzically I turned back to the man on the couch.

"'K, Siri, if you want to."

He groaned gratefully.

"You're an angel, Mya."

_Mya?_

Remus was standing next to me, all of a sudden, and holding a glass full of ice cubes. He gave me a wicked grin and lifted the top of Sirius' blanket to reveal the back of his neck and the fact that he was shirtless before, with another mischievous smile, dumping the whole glass of ice cubes onto his back.

"Lupin!" Sirius roared at Professor Lupin and shot up like a rocket before starting to chase him around the room.

I collapsed, laughing, onto the checkered red couch Sirius had previously occupied and watched them run around the room. Sirius became Padfoot and broke the muggle lamp (probably charmed and brought home by Mr. Weasley) standing in a corner in his efforts to catch up to Profess-Remus. Remus jumped over the back of the couch and ran – or rather - _tried_ to run out of the room and into the kitchen; instead, he ran straight into Fred and George. The resounding _THUMP_ of three people hitting the ground, one on top of another, brought Mrs. Weasley and Ron out of the kitchen and Harry and Ginny to the bottom of the stairs. Mrs. Weasley, already in a scolding frame of mind, promptly blew up (metaphorically speaking, of course).

"Frederick Geoffrey Weasley! George Faustus Weasley! Remus…"

"John," Sirius supplied helpfully, quickly casting _Reparo_ on the broken lamp.

"John-John?"

"John," Remus confirmed from atop Fred and George.

"John Lupin! _What_ is going on?"

"We didn't do anything-"

"This time, Mum-"

"Honest-"

"Yeah, honest, we were just walking up-"

"He means innocently _down_-"

"Right, right, _down_-"

"From our room-"

"When we heard-"

"By chance-"

"Glass breaking, so-"

"We were worried and came to check-"

"It out, but as soon-"

"As soon as we got here-"

"We were shoved-"

"To the ground by Lupin-"

"Who was running-"

"He was running from Sirius-"

"It wasn't our fault-"

"Not at all-"

"We swear it wasn't us, Mum-"

"We swear it!"

Mrs. Weasley turned furious eyes towards Sirius.

"Sirius…"

"Orion Black…" P-Remus prompted cheerfully.

"Orion Black!"

"How dare you break my lamp…" Remus continued.

"How _dare _you _break my lamp_!"

"And run around destroying my living room…"

"And run around _completely destroying_ my _own_ living room!"

"And exposing my children to such rowdy behavior…"

"And exposing my _poor_ children to such _rowdy_ behavior!"

"And chasing, poor, innocent Remus…"

"And chasing _poor _Remus - I can deal with this on my _own _Lupin!"

"Sorry Molly, merely suggesting."

"Well _don't_!"

"_So Hermione_!"

I jumped at the sound of Mr. Weasley's voice and quickly spun to see that he was closely watching his wife, Siri, and Remus. Looks like he's already assessed the situation.

"I heard you telling Molly you're Head Girl!"

I nodded slowly, somewhat unsure of what to make of Mr. Weasley's suddenly over-jovial.

"That's fantastic! Isn't that fantastic, Molly?" he rambled on without pausing for an answer, "Y'know, Hermione, you've always been like a second daughter to us, don't you think we should give her a congratulatory gift, Molly?"

"Oh no, sir, really, you shouldn't have to get me anything," I quickly protested Mr. Weasley's idea, knowing how little money the Weasley family had I felt immediately guilty for possibly wasting some of it.

"Nonsense dear, Arthur's right, you've been like a daughter to us all these years, and you _do _deserve congratulations!"

Well, if it makes her _that_ happy…and it did get her to stop yelling…

"Ok, thanks Mrs. Weasley," I agreed reluctantly.

She smiled even wider.

"Wonderful! I'll just rouse the boys and we'll be on our way."

* * *

Diagon Alley will never fail to make me feel awed and like the eleven-year-old child I was on my first trip here. It seems like there's always something new and exciting happening. Or maybe it's just because I'm a Muggleborn and so much of magic is still new to me. 

"We're going to _Quality Quidditch_!" Harry and Ron announced as soon as we had all flooed in – something that still gives me the shivers – and Mrs. Weasley waved them off before turning to me.

"I know _just _what to get you m'dear," she said cheerfully, "Why don't you wander around a bit?"

And then she and everyone went their separate ways. I noticed Sirius waving and quickly waved back before he and Professor Lupin turned the corner out of sight. That's strange; I had sort of expected to hang out with Sirius a bit. Oh well, I can _always_ amuse myself simply by looking around at the people and the different shops.

I left the funny little country witches still standing around the entrance between the Alley and the pub and headed towards the big apothecary to my right-or not. Professor Snape's in there and I'm _not_ afraid of him,honestly I'm not, I just don't feel like being sneered at. So…the cauldron shop across the street, god knows Neville blows up almost as many of _my_ cauldrons as he does his own. It won't hurt to have an extra one at the beginning of the year.

I hesitated when I saw Macnair inside looking over brass cauldrons with a salesperson but went in anyways. How long could it take to buy a cheap, spare pewter cauldron, certainly I can do it without drawing attention to myself.

"Ah, Miss…Grain-her, correct?"

Apparently the Fates are conspiring against me, damnit, and I was so close to leaving too.

"Granger, actually," I corrected Macnair as I took my change from the cashier.

"Yes, yes, of course, Miss _Granger_, terribly sorry."

The bastard doesn't sound very sorry to me.

"You are quite…infamous, among some of my colleagues."

Your Death Eater colleagues, perhaps?

"Because I always score better than Malfoy?" I responded instead.

"Yes, that _must _be it," his eyes have gone all hard and vicious looking.

"Well, good day."

Did I just say 'good day' to a _Death Eater_? I must be losing my mind.

"Have a good day, Miss Granger, and take care of yourself."

Is it just me or did he sound a bit more sinister than usual at the end? Oh well, I am _so _out of here.

Deep breath in…and _god _it feels good being back out in the sunny alley instead of the same shop as Macnair. Now, where to go next…didn't Harry mention something about a small stationery shop sometime? Oh yes! That's right, between _Flourish & Blotts_ and the Quidditch store, I even remember seeing it last year. Past the apothecary, and the other part of the apothecary, and the Quidditch store, whose windows Harry and Ron have their noses pressed up to. Silly boys…and here it is.

"Oh! Hello young lady."

I smiled and nodded back to the old, kindly looking wizard behind the counter of _Sherman's Stationery Shoppe_.

"Good morning."

"Are you looking for anything special, dear?"

Was I? No, I had actually just come here for fun…but the poor man looks so pleased and surprised at having someone wander into his dusty shop. I suppose…I suppose a scrapbook is always useful, right? I mean; I'm sure I can come up with _some _use for it. I smiled at the elderly wizard again, he reminds me a bit of my grandfather.

"I was actually planning on starting a scrapbook."

"Ah!" he clapped his hands together happily, "We have an _entire _section on scrapbooks and scrapbook-making!" and with that he ambled out from behind the counter and motioned for me to follow him towards the middle aisle.

"Here it is! Our scrapbook aisle!"

"Thank you," he looks so proud of himself…my birthday's coming up, I can afford to spend a good bit of money here, "I'm actually not completely sure how to go about it…" I trailed off, waiting for him to offer me one of the 'How-To' books I had spotted.

"That's not a problem! We do carry some books explaining it," he now sounded a bit desperate so I was quick to pick what looked like the most in-depth and expensive one, which wasn't really all that expensive compared to other book prices I've seen. Opening it up I flipped to the second page, the one that had an extremely long list of materials running all down it.

"Wow, I didn't know it took so much to make a scrapbook, I guess I'll just have to get some of everything," I smiled and laughed a bit nervously before looking up to see an expression of ecstasy on the older gentleman's face.

"I'll help you, my dear! Now, firstly, you'll want to pick out your scrapbook and then the papers you'd like to use in it, we have normal decorated parchments and we also have the slightly more expensive papers with moving decorations, if you'd just like to look this way, we also have some magical glitter and decoration things…"

* * *

Half an hour later I had enough supplies to redo my scrapbook in 7 different themes, including Quidditch – god just shoot me now. Mr. Sherman had helped me bring everything to the front and was now adding it all up. When he looked at me again it was with something akin to worship. 

"Your total is 23 galleons, 9 sickles, and 4 knuts, please."

I handed the coins and he reverently put them into the drawer before pushing the large bag towards me.

"Thank you very much, Miss…"

"Granger," I supplied, he smiled broadly.

"Thank you very much, Miss Granger! Come back any time you'd like! Or even just send an owl!" his face took on a cloudier expression, "You remind so much of another young lady who wandered into my store over twenty years ago. Miss Taite, that was her name, Miss Mya Taite. She owled me a few times while she was at Hogwarts, she was a transfer student, you see, but she didn't stay long," he suddenly seemed jovial again, "Ah well! No doubt you have better things to do than listen to an old man's ramble! Though I would appreciate an owl or visit on occasion, I tend to get a bit lonely here." And with that he patted my elbow and sent me out the door. I smiled at him a last time before pushing it open and stepping out into the sunshine for the third time today.

I think I'll skip _Flourish & Blotts_ for now and instead head slowly down _Magical Menagerie_ for some of Crookshanks' favorite food.

"Granger."

Yech. A ferret. And not the cute kind like my muggle friend, Kaylaigh, has.

"Get out of my way, Malfoy."

Suddenly the sunny day doesn't seem to be so sunny, why does Malfoy _always_ ruin _everything_? Great, now I sound like a whiny, spoiled little brat. Ironically enough, Malfoy _is_ a whiny, spoiled little brat. And he smirks too much, like he's smirking now and…_bowing_?

"Whatever you want, Mudblood."

That _so_ does _not_ sound like the incredibly irritating Malfoy I know at school, something _has _to be wrong…or he's plotting something-

"Morsmordre."

"_Ah!_"

What the hell! Why'd the little ferret spin me around and push me towards the cauldron shop again. Oh god the Dark Mark. No wonder everyone's screaming and panicking.

"Ah!"

Don't you _dare_ push me again, you stupid little-hah! Take _that_, Malfoy.

"Uh!"

Can't wait till you try having kids! There goes the rest of the Malfoy line!

"Draco! The Mudblood!"

What?

"I'll do it Walden."

Professor Snape?

"_Admoveo_ _Noccus Salignus_!"

Ah! I feel like I'm going by Portkey-but I can't be! I can't be! And-and I can feel someone hanging on to me-oh _god._

"_Aiee_!"

Ow…what…Whomping Willow…Hogwarts…Malfoy?

* * *

Mmm…antiseptic? What-Why…what? 

"I think the young lady is coming around now, Albus."

"Ah, wonderful, thank you, Poppy, I will take it from here."

"Not a problem, Headmaster."

Headmaster…Albus…Poppy…Madam Pomfrey? So…I'm at Hogwarts? Why the hell am I at Hogwarts?

"H-Headmaster?"

"So you _are_ awake, the two of you had us quite worried, especially Professor Kettleburn who found you close to the Willow."

Two of us? There's _two_ of us? Why am I at Hogwarts again?

"Wha…" I opened my eyes to the usual white ceiling and bright lights of Hogwarts' own Hospital Wing. The Headmaster was standing next to me, actually looking somewhat younger, and twinkling down at me.

"Why am I at Hogwarts, Professor Dumbledore?"

"You know my name?" he sounded surprised, "How do you know my name?"

What's he playing at? "I've gone to school here for the past six years, sir, remember me? Hermione Granger?" he still looked blankly at me so I continued, "Harry Potter's friend?"

"Potter? I'm afraid the only Mr. Potter currently at this school is our Head Boy, Mr. _James_ Potter."

What's he talking about? Harry's _dad_?

"No, _Harry_ Potter…and Ron Weasley…y'know, Professor Snape, he calls us the 'Golden Trio'"

"I'm afraid that there _is_ no Professor Snape here, there is a seventh year student _Severus_ Snape."

"Yes, him, but he's the Potions professor…isn't he?"

What the _hell _is going on? Oh, oh good, he looks like something's dawning.

"Miss…Granger, did you say?"

I nodded.

"What year is it?"

What?

"It-it's 1997, sir."

"The date, Miss Granger, is August 31st, 1975."

"_What?_"

"I believe, Miss Granger, that you and your…colleague, have taken a trip back into time due to, perhaps, a faulty Time-Turner, is that a possibility?"

I nodded dumbly. _McGonagall's Time-Turner_. But, wait…my _colleague_? _What_ colleague?

"My colleague."

"Yes, over there, a Mr…"

"Malfoy."

Oh _god_. Malfoy's here, this can_not_ get worse..

"Mr. Malfoy. Well, Miss Granger, I am not quite sure what to do with you two, I suppose there is nothing _to_ do while you wait to be returned, other than introducing you to the school as foreign exchange students from…Salem?"

"Sure," my voice sounded a bit weak.

"Excellent! Is there anything you'd like to tell me before I leave to make your arrangements."

"Um…"

My mind was still trying to catch up. I'm back in time, in…1975? James Potter…seventh year Severus Snape…that means Siri's here! And he's _my_ age, oh _god_. I'm stuck in the past with…_Draco Malfoy_ of all people. I think that there's only one word to describe what…situation I'm in, I think, just an eloquent-

"Fuck."


	10. 9:Mya And The Marauders

Eulogizing Memoirs

Amelie Rae Lanhoss

**A/N- Firstly, some advertising! There's a brand new forum called Harry Potter Unusual Ships Union, there's not much going on yet, we've only got...thirteen members, but it is pretty cool. So, come check us out! Next, I started a C2 community for different _good_ Sirius/Hermione fics, so...check that out too! It's called 'A Relationship: Take 2' Thanks to all the nice people who put up with the incredibly long period of time between _Summer Letters _and _Shopping And Time Warps_, you guys, are the greatest. This is for katemary77 who reviewed the same chapter THREE times (now _that_ is definitely worth a dedication), and, as always, in loving memory, for K.M.L.**

**-C.R.C.**

Chapter 9-Mya And The Marauders

"_Hell_ no!"

What the..?

"I am so _not_ stuck back in time with _Granger_ of all people! Would you stop looking at me like that old man! I don't know _why_ Father told me to grab onto her or why you went along with it! We hate each other, remember? Or are you going senile finally?"

Right - 1976 - with Malfoy – Head Boy _James_ Potter – Death Eaters in Diagon Alley – broken Time-Turner – Sirius – _seventeen_ year old Sirius –

"Ah, Miss...Granger, was it? I see you have rejoined us, excellent!"

"Great, she's awake, _now_ would you mind telling us what the hell is going on?"

"Not here, Mr. Malfoy, it's already six-thirty, we only have a half hour before the Welcome Feast. Luckily, Poppy has said that you are both in tip-top shape and you may leave whenever you'd like. So, if you'll follow me to my office..."

I walked absentmindedly after Headmaster Dumbledore, past the same portraits as before – or rather – the same portraits that will still be here in twenty years..._god_, this is _twenty years _in the past.

"This is your fault, Granger, you and your stupid over-achiever attitude."

What an asshole.

"Shut it, Malfoy."

"Here we are!"

Oh. Already? I guess what Harry says is true, when you're at Hogwarts, and not concentrating, you seem to get to the place you're going to faster. Up, up, up the moving staircase. I wonder what the Professor has in his office that he doesn't have twenty years from now. Or maybe it's still exactly the same. Huh. There's an idea.

"I am afraid that you cannot refer to yourselves by your real names while you are here, and you cannot mention anything about the future...unless..."

Professor Dumbledore should really avoid getting a sneaky-Slytherin-like look in his eyes, it's creepy and abnormal.

"I had thought about changing your looks with a strong Glamour, one that was tied directly into your souls...That's what I will do!"

He pulled his wand out of his sleeve pocket and seemed to be contemplating something.

"I think you should probably be siblings, if my idea is to work."

Siblings!? With _Malfoy_!?

Our twin looks of horror must have changed the Headmaster's mind because next he was saying-

"No, no, no, obviously that's not a good idea. Cousins, then...You have come to Hogwarts because you both received a premonition in a dream that you would be needed here."

Premonitions? Why would we get premonitions?

"Your Headmistress at Salem, who is to be aware of your special talents, then contacted me and arranged your transfer, however, it happened so hastily there was no time to bring your belongings, therefore the Head Girl and Boy will take you into Hogsmeade at the end of this week."

The Headmaster looks particularly pleased with himself, what is he thinking?

"Now, for _your_ Glamour, Mr..."

"Malfoy."

"No, no, no. You misunderstood, I was asking if you had an idea for your new last name."

"Oh. No."

Malfoy looks so depressed that he won't be called Malfoy anymore. It's wonderful!

"Do you have an idea Miss..."

A last name? Where would I come up with a new last name? If someone asked me that during the present I'd come up with a last name like Lupin or Black or Evans or something, but all those people are here now. Maybe Mum's name...

"My mother's maiden name was Taite and she's a muggle, no one will have heard of the name."

The Headmaster beamed at me.

"Excellent idea, Miss Taite, to choose a name you will easily remember, we should do that with your first names as well, once I am done with the Glamours...let's see..."

Professor Dumbledore let the end of his sentence drift off while he studied Malfoy. This seemed to make Malfoy very uncomfortable. Hee hee.

"Conveho Anima Aquilus Caesaries Oculatus Ostrinus Facies Nescio."

What the hell!?

"_Malfoy_?"

"What Granger?"

Okay, it's still Malfoy, he just looks...incredibly different.

"Now remember you two, you can't call each other by your real names. And since your cousins through your fathers you should probably call each other by your first names...what's your real first name, Mr. Taite?"

"Draco."

"Draco...well then, I assume Drake will be easy enough for you to remember?"

"Yes, sir."

"Excellent! Mr. Drake Taite and Miss..."

Now the Headmaster is studying _me_ creepily.

"H-Hermione. My real name's Hermione."

"Ah..."

It's very intimidating to have the most powerful wizard in probably the entire raise his wand and point it at you.

"Conveho Anima Aquilus Cincinnatus Caesaries Oculatus Ostrinus Facies Nescio."

"My god, Granger!"

Now what does the slimy little ferret want?

"What, Malfoy?"

"You look-look-_human_!"

Ha. Ha. Ha. Freaking hilarious. Ferret.

"Now children, remember names...Hermione, you said? Let's see...Mia-no...Helen-no, you don't look like a Helen...H-H-Hannah-no...Mya-yes-Mya!"

Mya? But there's already another transfer student named Mya. Sirius' friend Mya.

"Do you think you'll remember that Miss Taite?"

"Yes, my grandmother called me that, I'll remember but-"

"Wonderful!"

But there's another Mya-isn't there?

"Mr. Drake Taite and Miss Mya Taite from the Salem Witches and Wizards Institute. You are cousins and your fathers are brothers. Both of you are True Seers, specifically Dream Weavers, hence your purple eyes, which are the mark of a powerful Seer. Even though I've made you look like Seers, in case you accidentally let something slip, you should be very careful to not reveal anything about the future."

Wait a minute! Purple eyes? Since when-_oh_, the Glamour Charms. The Glamour Charms. Oh god-I don't even know what I look like!

"Um-Headmaster, sir, do you have a mirror we can look at ourselves in?"

"Oh yes! I completely forgot, my dears, do forgive me."

A packet of Nigel's Non-Explodable Balloons was transfigured into a red mirror and handed to Malfoy.

"_Merlin_! I-I-I don't-I barely recognize myself!"

"An extra part of the Glamour I added, Mr. Taite. If you don't mind passing it on, I'm sure Miss Taite is also curious as to her appearance."

"Oh-right."

Malfoy practically shoved the mirror into my hands and then sat there looking stunned. Deep breath in, Hermione, let's see what you look like...

Oh god. Oh god, oh god, oh god! I _am_ Mya! _I_ am Mya! I look exactly like the girl in the picture by the lake! Same slightly familiar expression, same purple eyes, same semi-curly black hair...oh god. I'm _seventeen-year old_ Sirius' friend! All this time...all this time he's been talking about _me_! He's been telling me what I'll do over the next...month, right? I'm only here a month, right? A month. A month! I'm going to actually _meet_ Harry's _parents_! I'm going to be close friends with Harry's _mother_! Oh god, oh god, oh god.

A gold alarm started ringing on the Headmaster's desk.

"Ah! The children have arrived. If the both of you will follow me..."

Professor Dumbledore stood and swept out of his office, leaving me and Malfoy to hurry after him.

"Now, while the first years are being sorted you will sit next to me at the Head Table, once Professor McGonagall has finished reading the list I will then introduce you and have you Sorted."

Sorted? But we were already Sorted! We were Sorted six years ago!

The Headmaster lifted a hand to stop our protests.

"I know you have already been put into a House, however, for the duration of your time here, you will need to be re-Sorted."

Oh.

"I should also warn you that without pressure from family heritage and classmates you may be Sorted differently than you were before."

Yeah...right. I didn't have anyone telling me to try for Gryffindor and Malfoy's such a slimy ferret it'd be impossible for him to be Sorted anywhere _but_ Slytherin.

The huge doors to the Great Hall swung open with a wave of the Headmaster's hand and we were suddenly the objects of interest for hundreds of eyes. The Headmaster just kept walking towards the front, smiling a bit apologetically to Professor McGonagall who was waiting with a scroll and a line of nervous first years. He pointed us to chairs directly to the left of his own and motioned for Professor McGonagall to start.

"When I call your name you will be put on the hat and sit on the stool to be Sorted. Audre, Jonathan!"

There was barely a pause, and then-

"Gryffindor!"

"Baudenrez, Kyle!"

"Gryffindor!"

"Costneer, Meghan!"

"Ravenclaw!"

Then the Hat named another Gryffindor and another Ravenclaw and another Gryffindor and then 'Harris, Helena!' became the first 'Hufflepuff!' and then I sort of tuned out. I wonder how many people I know here, let's see...huh, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor switch tables sometime in the next twenty-_twenty!_-years. I-Is that _Sirius_? It has to be because next to him is sitting someone who looks _exactly_ like Harry. Well, almost exactly.

Ow! I rubbed my side where an elbow had jabbed me. What the hell's his problem anyways?!

"_What_, Mal-Drake?"

"They're almost done."

Oh. I turned my attention back to the now short line of first years.

"Raindler, Timothy!"

"Gryffindor!"

"Senyter, Samuel!"

"Slytherin!"

"Smythe, Randall!"

"Ravenclaw!"

"Weasley, Billius!"

"Gryffindor!"

Billius Weasley?

"Zariah, Bartholomew!"

"Ravenclaw!"

Billius-_Bill_-Bill Weasley?! Ron's _brother_ Bill Weasley. _Here_?!

"Welcome! Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! I have, as always, a few announcements to make. However, only one is important enough to be made before our feast."

The Headmaster motioned for Malfoy and I to stand and go to Professor McGonagall.

"Students and professors, I would like you to meet Mr. Drake Taite and Miss Mya Taite, recently transferred from the Salem Witches and Wizards Institute. I expect you all to treat them both with respect and have them leave us with only good memories."

"Taite, Drake!"

There was a moments pause while I waited anxiously before-

"Gryffindor!"

Gryffindor? A _Malfoy_ in Gryffindor? Oh. My. God.

"Please go sit at your House Table, Mr. Taite," Professor McGonagall sounds annoyed.

"R-r-right, Professor."

"Taite, Mya!"

Gryffindor, Gryffindor, _please_, _please_, _please_ Gryffindor, _please_, _pleas-_

"Gryffindor!"

Thank god!

"Hi, Mya, right?"

I nodded.

"Hi! My name's Lily Evans, I'm the Head Girl here at Hogwarts, if you need anything let me know, alright?"

"O-okay."

She beamed at me and I smiled shakily back. Oh god, oh god, oh god. I'm _talking_ with Harry's _mother_!

"This is my best friend-"

"Kat, Kat Calone, it's nice to meet you, Mya."

"Nice to meet you too."

"Allison-or Allie, Allie Figg."

"Hi."

"I'm Alma, Alma Rodriguez."

On the other side of the table Malfoy was receiving the same warm, hectic welcome, although he didn't respond to the people who greeted him.

"Benjy Fenwick, Drake, I'm also in my seventh year."

"Lopen, Tony Lopen, glad you're in Gryffindor mate."

"James Potter, _the_ Head Boy."

"Get over it James, Remus Lupin, Drake, welcome to Hogwarts."

"I-I'm Peter-"

"He's Peter Pettigrew, _I'm_ Sirius, Sirius Black."

Sirius? Sirius! Oh my god, Sirius' barely changed over twenty years. Well, except for looking older, he certainly doesn't seem to have matured much. Look at Malfoy's expression! He looks so surprised at Sirius' name and smile.

"So how are you guys related?"

"He's my cousin," I answered...Alma, I think is her name, Alma's question and then turned to the now filled plates.

"Damn, girl, you have one hot cousin."

"_What_!"

_Malfoy_!? She thinks Malfoy's _hot_! My god!

"Relax! You didn't have to spit your juice out at me, I was just making a comment. Anyways, does he have a girlfriend?"

I shook my head no.

"Don't think about it Alma! You've already _got_ a boyfriend, remember, Jon?"

"I know, I know Lily, just thinking out loud again. Chill."

Lily glanced at me before turning back to say something...and then spinning around to look at me again after she had barely even opened her mouth.

"Your _eyes_!"

A quarter of Gryffindor turned to look at me and Lily.

"What about them?"

"They're-they-they're _purple_!"

I love making other people shocked and speechless.

"Yes, I know."

"But-but only really, really powerful Seers...oh god, are you?"

"Ma-Drake and I both."

I turned back to my meal, desperately trying to ignore the looks people were giving me. Thankfully, it was only half the amount as before since now some people were turning to look at Malfoy instead.

Harry's mum's blonde friend-Kat Calone?-broke our tables eerie silence.

"That's wicked cool!"

"Yeah!"

"It _is_!"

"That's awesome!"

"So you can predict the future?"

"Are you going to replace Tanger as the Divination professor?"

"Aren't their different kinds of Seers?"

"That's _so cool_!"

"_Both_ of you? Isn't that, like, really, _really_ rare?"

It continued like that for the rest of the meal, most of the girls questioning me about what it was like, although some had taken to flirting with Malfoy, and the guys either thumping Malfoy's back or yelling cheesy things at me, like 'don't you See you and me together forever babe?' It was one of the worst meals of my life, directly behind lunch after Kev's funeral service.

* * *

"So, you See the future, right?"

I nodded in Kat Calone's direction as I pulled the covers on my new bed down.

"So...do you maybe know who Lils is gonna marry?"

"Kat! I am _not _marrying James Potter! Get. Over It!"

I faked confusion.

"Who's James Potter?"

"One of the dreamiest hunks you'll ever meet who happens to keep asking Lily out-"

"He's an arrogant prick who did _not _deserve the Head Boy position!"

"Lily's in denial that she's crushing on him."

"There's nothing _to _deny!"

Kat Calone ignored her best friend and turned towards me instead.

"So, can you tell who Lily's gonna marry?"

Of course I can, she'll marry James Potter and they'll have my best friend, Harry James Potter. But I can't exactly say that out of the blue, now can I?

"Umm..."

"Are you the type of Seer that has to touch someone's head or something? Like, a...what are those called again Lil?"

Harry's mum opened her mouth to answer but I beat her to it.

"Dream Weavers, yeah, I am."

"Well what are you waiting for Lily?" A girl-Allie?-called from the other side of the dorm room, "Let her touch your head."

"Yeah, we'll see once and for all if you're _really_ gonna marry James. I bet you won't though, I bet he doesn't even like you-"

"Shut it Sally," said Kat Calone.

"Fine," Lily sighed and sat on my bed, "go ahead and do it, Mya."

Um...how do they do it again? I _know_ I saw a picture of someone doing it in _Unfogging The Future_ but I haven't read that book since third year...oh yeah, left hand on the middle of her forehead and right hand on my right temple.

I made myself get a glazed look in my eyes and waited a few seconds before gasping slightly and jerking away. Lily looked a bit startled.

"So?"

I licked my lips nervously.

"Well, I don't know who James Potter is or what he looks like, but your husband is going to be a few inches taller than you, messy black hair, brown eyes, big glasses...and you'll have a son named Harry James."

"Harry James! You _are_ going to marry James!"

"The description sounds just like James too!"

Lily looked shocked.

"Are-are-are you sure?"

"I'm sure that's what he'll look like," I answered her, "and I'm sure that's what you'll name your son, but since I've never seen James Potter I'm not about to guarantee it's him."

"I-it _does_ sound a lot like him though."

I thought about the one thing I had actually learned from Trelawney.

"Seers, Lily, like me, don't see the precise future, that's impossible. We just see what the most likely outcome is. There's about a one in a billion chance that you _won't_ marry someone with messy black hair, brown eyes and glasses. If what I had seen was blurrier, and not clear-cut, then your chance would be bigger."

"Wha-what ab-about my...son, Harry James?"

"That's certain. I Saw it so clearly that it's a sure thing. I can almost guarantee it. However, like I said, we don't See the precise future, there _is _a chance, though it's pretty much microscopic, that Harry isn't really _your_ biological son."

I _can _guarantee it though, Harry James Potter is one of my best friends.

"Oh. Th-thank you, Mya. I...I appreciate this."

"No problem, Lily."

* * *

"Mya, we're going to be late, it's time to get up."

Wha? Red hair...

"_Ginny_?"

What's she doing here? This isn't her dorm.

"No, Lily, remember? You're not at Salem anymore, Mya."

Mya..._Mya_! Right, 1976. Urgh, I don't feel like getting up.

"When do classes start?"

"Half an hour. You don't have time for a shower and you barely have time for breakfast unless you rush...c'mon Mya, up you get."

Half an hour-shit, shit, shit, shit, shit...

"Shit-shit-shit-shit-"

"Mya!"

Lily laughed at me as I transfigured my makeshift pajamas and darted into the bathroom.

"I knew we should've woken you up earlier but Kat said you'd probably be fine. Do you normally sleep this late?"

_No_. Usually _I'm _the one waking people up. What the hell's wrong with me?

"Yeah, Ginny, my friend, she's the one who usually wakes me up."

_God_ I'm good. Now she won't ask me lots of questions about why I thought she was Ginny.

"Oh. Well hurry up! I don't want to be late and you still have eat."

"Yes, mother," I said, coming out of the bathroom. I had forgotten about my new hair, I don't have to spend twenty minutes trying to untangle it with charms.

Lily laughed at her new nickname and held the dorm door open for me. It-it's kinda nice having someone wake me up and nag me about being late, it's nice to have someone who cares enough, usually I'm the one waking everyone up.

We reached the Great Hall quickly, we were walking so fast we were almost jogging, and it was my turn to push and hold the door open, we had gotten there so late they were already closed since everyone else was inside.

Lily's face took on a nervous look as we approached our table before she switched it to determined.

"Come on," she muttered, "let's sit somewhere other than normal, I have to talk to J-Potter about patrol schedules anyways."

"Lily flower!"

Harry's father stood up so fast he hit his knees on the table and had to sit down again. It's actually kind of funny.

"Ow. Lily flower! Did you sleep well? I bet you dreamed about me!"

"Nah, mate, for Lily that'd be a nightmare, not a dream."

"Shut _up _Padfoot," Harry's dad hit Sirius before realizing Lily had actually sat down next to him.

"Aw, Lily flower! You love me! You really, really love me!"

"Keep dreaming Potter. I only wanted to straighten out this months patrol schedule with you, seeing as the Headmaster took leave of his senses sometime this summer and made _you_ Head Boy."

"Oh flower, you don't _really_ mean that!"

"Hey."

While I had been watching Harry's parents argue comically Sirius had moved from his spot next to Harry's dad and instead slid in next to me. Oh god, I'm sitting next to Siri, a Siri _my _age, how weird is that?

"Hi," I wonder if I sound as scared and nervous as I really am.

"Mya, right?"

"Uh huh."

He nodded his head solemnly and turned back to the plate of food he had brought with him...and slipped an arm around my waist.

Oh god, Sirius-seventeen year old Sirius-has his arm around me...and it's moving higher...and-and his hands _under _my shirt-wait a minute-_under_, my shirt?

"You fucking bastard!"

The fact that he looked shocked at my reaction just made me madder-how _dare_ he do that!

"What the fuck is your problem!?"

Oh my god! He _really _doesn't get why I'm mad!

I summoned enough energy to slap him harder than I had slapped Malfoy in third year.

"How _dare_ you!"

Now he has a wonderful red mark covering half his face. Good, he deserves it.

"Do I _look_ like a stupid little whore?!"

By now the entire Hall was staring at us, Sirius still looked shocked.

"You're _such _an asshole! You _disgust _me Black, you makeme _sick_!"

Fucking little prick-he's almost worse than Malfoy! _Grrrr_!

I slammed the Hall door as hard as I could after me and leaned against the wall breathing heavily. How _dare_ he! What's _wrong _with him!? He's _not_ the Siri I know.

_"This story is about the friend I had in 7th year that you remind me so much of."_

_"I remind you of a friend?"_

_"Yes, she was one of my best friends in my 7th year, even if she only stayed at Hogwarts for a month. Her name was Mya."_

_"Mya?"_

_"Uh huh, Mya."_

_"My _grandmother_ used to call me her 'Little Mya'"_

_"Well this Mya was my best friend, even if only for a short while, I trusted her, and with a family like mine the only people you trust _are_ your best friends. She came to Hogwarts when I was 17. She and Lily were the only girls I could sit down and have a conversation with them that didn't have any sexual innuendos. See, sadly, my wonderful charms didn't work on either of them."_

_I let out a short laugh._

_"One night, about a month after she had come to the school I went up to my dorm room and found a note on my bed. It was from Mya and it said that she had to leave but that I should look for someone like her in a few years and that when she came back and I saw her, she would tell me everything."_

_"I still have the note," he added as an afterthought._

_"Did you ever see her again?"_

_"Uh huh, but she doesn't know me yet."_

_"That makes _no_ sense."_

_"It will, in time."_

_"Great, another cryptic adult." I muttered back sarcastically. He chuckled softly before responding._

_"You've seen her too."_

_"Really?" This came as a shock to me; I could've sworn that I had never met someone named Mya, well, someone that I could remember anyways. "When?"_

_"Oh, quite a while back actually." Oh, maybe that was why I couldn't remember her._

_"You should meet her again in about a year."_

_"I will?" Another shocking piece of news. How would he know anyways?_

_"Yup, you will." Okay._

_"So, what was she like?"_

_"She was very pretty, very funny, very smart, and very nice, except the first day she came when she slapped me and yelled at me for trying to feel up her shirt, _no_ girl besides Lily had ever done that to me before."_

_I smiled a little. "I like her already."_

_Another short laugh, "I expect you will, you remind me of her a lot."_

_"Promise something?"_

_"What?" he asked._

_"That you won't try to feel up _my_ shirt."_

Oh god, I had forgotten, of course, I'm _that_ Mya. Everything he told me is going to happen to _me_. I don't know whether I should laugh or cry.


	11. 10:A New Routine

Eulogizing Memoirs

Amelie Rae Lanhoss

**A/N- My computer was broken for two weeks and then I had to put my cat to sleep not last Saturday but the Saturday before that; so I really didn't feel like writing then like I had originally planned. And on Thursday my English teacher told me she had lost my twenty-page report we had turned in late October so I had to print _that_ out all over again...If this chapter seems a bit out of place that's because I originally didn't plan on it…but the chapter I _had _planned, _Hanging Out In '76_, would be _extremely_ long if I put all the details I want to put in. Anyways, this is for my poor cat; who I'll always remember as being my fat Tiggy-Wiggy, for my 100th (that's right, 100 reviews!) reviewer, EmzyTrish, and as always, in loving memory for K.M.L.**

**-C.R.C.**

Chapter 10-A New Routine

"Oh my god, Mya! That was _awesome_! It was awesome and wonderful and incredible! _Did you see his face_? That was _great_!"

_Great_!? I just blew up at one of my best friends! Granted, he doesn't know me yet and he _did_ deserve it…and his face _was_ pretty funny…

_"Of course, afterwards I apologized to her-"_

_"And then you became best friends?" I interrupted him._

_"Yup," he confirmed, "and then we became friends."_

And he'll apologize and we'll become friends anyways. Y'know, it's kind of nice to know what's going to happen next.

"Thanks, Lily." I smiled back at her.

"You're _just_ like Lily, Mya, you know that?"

"What?"

"She means that, like Lily, when a hot Marauder hits on you-you scream and run away."

"Basically, you're both weird."

"Maybe Mya, like me, can tell that the _wonderful _Marauder's aren't all that great! C'mon, Mya, let's head to Transfig."

I glanced a last time to Alma Rodriguez and the blonde next to her before following Lily up the stairs.

" Alma can be so-so-so-_argh_! She doesn't know when to leave people alone!"

Okay…someone's ticked off…what am I supposed to say? Maybe if I do what I do for Harry…just calmly agree?

"It must be awful having to deal with her everyday."

"You don't even know the half of it, Mya! She's not even my _friend_! She only started talking to me when James kept asking me out and she only ever hangs out with me when the Marauder's are around! It's _so annoying_! And then _she_ acts like _I'm_ one of her stupid little clique members! I _hate _her!"

Wow. I can see where Harry gets some of his temper.

"Wow. That really sucks."

"I _know_! It does!"

We fell silent and turned down the Arithmancy corridor…at least, it's the Arithmancy corridor twenty years from now. Right now it looks like the Transfiguration corridor.

"Thanks for listening, Mya. I didn't mean to make your first morning here depressing."

"It isn't, Lily, just…eventful."

She laughed, "Eventful indeed. Let's get good seats, you can borrow some of my stuff until the weekend we go shopping."

"Thanks, Lily, I appreciate it."

We exchanged smiles again and entered the classroom. Professor McGonagall, who was already sitting at her desk, looked up when we came in and nodded to both of us.

"Good morning, Professor."

"Good morning Miss Evans, Miss Taite."

"Good morning, Professor."

Lily sat down at one of the desks at the front and center of the room and I followed suit.

"Miss Taite?"

I looked up at Professor McGonagall.

"Yes, Professor?"

"Where is your…"

My what? Oh. She probably means Malfoy.

"My cousin?"

"Yes, your cousin."

"Um…"

How the hell should I know? Malfoy and I aren't exactly best buddies or anything. I didn't even look for him at breakfast!

"He was sitting with Tony Lopen at breakfast," Lily volunteered.

"He always takes forever to eat breakfast when it's early in the morning," I added.

Oh god, Malfoy, please, please, please, _please_ eat slow!

"Mr. Lopen is a fine young man; I am glad both your cousin and yourself have already found respectful friends here at Hogwarts."

Ooooookay.

"Er, thank you? Professor."

She simply nodded and watched as the rest of the class began filing in. Lily looked crestfallen for an instant before she turned back to me, smiled, and started talking animatedly.

"You'll love it here at Hogwarts, Mya, it's fantastic! The classes are lots of fun and the professors are great."

"Really?"

I casually glanced over her shoulder to see what had caused her sudden mood change and spotted Alma Rodriguez draping herself over a slightly uncomfortable James Potter. Oh. I guess she _does_ like him. Poor Lily. Wow, I feel stupid. _Of course_ she likes him, they get married after all.

"Oh _Merlin_, James, you're _too _funny! How do you think of all these _great _jokes?"

Alma's exclamation and flirty laughter made it's way to us and Lily froze at James' answering nervous chuckle.

"So!" I exclaimed suddenly to Lily, "You have to give me more details than that! Who teaches what? Are _all_ the teachers really nice?"

Lily smiled enthusiastically. "_Well_. You already know that Professor McGonagall teaches Transfiguration?"

"Uh huh."

"Professor Kettleburn teaches Care Of Magical Creatures…"

I saw Harry's dad look over wistfully at Lily when she started talking and then up to see who she was talking to. I looked at him disappointedly and turned back to Lily when he looked surprised at my expression. It's funny how I've already stopped thinking about Lily as 'Harry's mum'.

"Who teaches Arithmancy?"

She looked a bit startled at my interruption so I added apologetically, "Sorry, it's just my favorite class."

Her enthusiasm was back, and this time it actually seems genuine.

"That's _my_ favorite class too!"

I grinned at her, "So? Who teaches? Who takes it? Details!"

She laughed. "Professor Fandelleni teaches, she's really nice. There aren't a lot of people taking it by seventh year so we're all in one class. Amelia Burnnet, she's a Hufflepuff and really sweet, is in the class. Um…so is Bobby, Bobby Ingrid, Remus Lupin-"

"Now why would you lovely ladies be talking about my old pal Remus and not me?"

"_What _do you want, Black? What you did to Mya at breakfast was bad enough, why are you _still_ bothering her?"

"Actually," he sat down at the desk next to mine, "I wanted to apologize about that."

"_What_!?" Lily looks dumbstruck.

"I said _apologize_, Lily, get your ears cleaned why don't you. Anyways, I wanted to apologize, Mya, what I did was wrong, especially since I didn't give you a warning of any kind."

"_Sirius_!" Remus Lupin had come up behind him.

"Alright, alright!" Sirius held his hands up, "Don't lose it at me! Mya, what I did was just plain wrong. There, Moony, satisfied?"

"Now apologize again."

Sirius sighed heavily before flashing me a grin. "I'm so _terribly_ sorry, Mya my dear, can you find it in your wonderful heart to forgive me?"

"Apology accepted," I hesitated, and then, "now leave me alone."

Lily looked proud of me, Remus looked amused, and Sirius just looked shocked.

"B-b-but I just _apologized_! I _never_ apologize to _anyone _unless it's to get out of trouble and now you want me to go away!?"

Professor Lu-Remus started laughing at Sirius' expression, "I _love _this girl, Sirius, she can actually shock you into silence!"

"Who shocked Padfoot into silence? I don't believe it!"

"Miss Mya Taite."

"No way! Congratulations!"

Harry's dad started shaking my hand heartily while P-Remus kept laughing. Sirius seemed to suddenly regain some of his composure.

"Hey! Who's side are you on?!"

"I didn't know we were supposed to be picking sides."

Sirius looked slightly insulted before turning back to me and Lily.

"Alright! Moony get Peter, we're sitting here so I can use my many charms to change this lovely lady's opinion of me."

I snorted and Lily sniggered, "_Charms_!"

"Honestly, what planet does _he _live on?"

Sirius pretended not to hear us as Remus shook his head and went to fetch _fucking Pettigrew_. _Argh_. I _hate_ the stupid little rat! I _hate_ him! Kay, breathe, Mione, _breathe_, they can't know.

"H-hi, I'm Pete-Peter Pettigrew."

I know who you are; you're a stupid, little, weak, power hungry _rat_. Damnit I _have_ to calm down. None of them can know something's wrong. Let's try for a nice, cheery smile and say 'hi' back.

"Hi Peter, it's a pleasure to meet you," yeah, like _that's_ not the biggest lie I've ever told or anything, "My name's Mya Taite."

"It's nice to meet you, Mya."

"Alright, boys and girls, let's get started now. Firstly I'd like to introduce two new students that I'm sure you all noticed in the Great Hall last night. Mr. Drake Taite and his cousin Miss Mya Taite are new to Hogwarts from the Salem Academy. As their housemates I expect you all to help them out; make sure they are welcome and that they know where everything is. I also expect Mr. and Miss Taite to remain prank-free for the duration of their stay with us."

The Professor stared sternly at the Marauders and Pettigrew before turning to Malfoy who had just slipped in and was seated in the back with the Benjy Fenwick boy Lily had pointed out at supper yesterday…wasn't he supposed to be with Tony Lopen?

"Mr. Taite, why don't you come up and sit in the front in order to see better. Mr. Black, make room."

"But I've already volunteered to be Miss Mya's personal escort," he protested and I had to bite my lip to stop from laughing.

"Has Miss _Taite_ agreed to have you as her…_personal escort_?"

"Well, er, not, uh, I haven't exactly, er, asked her yet."

Professor McGonagall turned to me expectantly. I'm already anticipating the laughs I'll have over this with Lily.

"Gee, that's _so _considerate of you and I feel _so_ touched and I'm _so _glad that there're _such_ kind and friendly people here at Hogwarts but Lily already offered and I've already accepted and thanked her," I pretended to explain this all earnestly to Sirius much to the amusement of Remus and Harry's dad.

Professor McGonagall looked like she was holding back a smirk as she said, "Make _room_, Mr. Black."

Sirius scooted down and Malfoy took his place. Damn. I had sort of forgotten that Malfoy would sit in Sirius' place if Professor McGonagall made him move.

As the Professor launched into her start–of–the–year speech I heard Malfoy quietly mutter under his breath.

"Gryffindor! I'm in _Gryffindor_! I'm a bloody lion!"

Don't hate me for this but in that instant I felt bad for Malfoy. I actually felt _really_ bad for him. So I leaned in closer, much to his surprise.

"It's not so bad though, is it? And you have friends."

He looked surprised that I was talking civilly to him and then-"_Friends_? Yeah, right. Who?"

Who indeed? I guess-I guess as long as we're here, in the past, and he's technically not a Death Eater's son and he doesn't have his Slytherin cronies following him everywhere. I guess…without anyone around – specifically Ron and Harry – to stop me…_I _could be his friend…couldn't I?

"Truce?" I offered. He looked surprised but nodded all the same. I guess he's realized too that there's no one we actually know to see us call a temporary truce.

"Truce."

"Mr. Taite, Miss Taite, pray tell, just _what_ do you two have to talk about that takes precedence over my class?"

"Er…"

Wow. I became best friends with Ron and Harry because I lied to get them out of trouble and now I'm about to do the same for Malfoy. What're the odds, huh?

"Drake's always been the best at Transfiguration; he was re-explaining the Haparysart Teroema Theory to me."

Professor McGonagall looked surprised. "They've already taught you that over at Salem?"

I nodded my head and crossed my fingers under the desk, please, please, _please_ have already read the textbook, Malfoy, please, please, _please_!

"We learned it at the beginning of March in year six at Salem," Malfoy added.

I breathed a silent sigh of relief. Professor McGonagall looks just a _tad _too suspicious of us, though.

"Really, Mr. Taite? In that case I'm sure you wouldn't mind giving the students a slight preview of the next topic we'll be starting," it wasn't a question but a command. Malfoy treated it like a question anyways.

"Not at all. The Haparysart Teorema Theory, also known as Roberts' Inconstantia states, in the most general of terms, that all things are inconsistent. Using his first hypothetical statement as a base, Roberts goes on to explain that because all things are inconsistent and constantly moving any type of Transfiguration can be achieved. He says that anything can be Transfigured into anything else. The problem with Roberts' theory is that, while the concept of conjuring things is widely known and used, many things _can't_ be conjured; which somewhat disagrees with the section he writes about Transfiguring air into a solid. Another large flaw pointed out by many Transfiguration Masters is the fact that there _still_ hasn't been a recorded occurrence of someone conjuring a liquid and keeping it in the air; making it look like whatever they want. No one's yet achieved this, although many have tried. Yet another thing is that many Transfiguration Masters find Roberts' association of Transfiguration - specifically from air to solid - and conjuring insulting because Conjuration is considered to be part of the Charms field. Later on in his theory Mr. Roberts makes another grave mistake when-"

"That's enough, Mr. Taite, I understand why Miss Taite had you explain it to her - you seem to have a good grasp of the theory."

Malfoy looked shocked to be complimented by the Head of Gryffindor - he's obviously not used to not being in Slytherin anymore.

Professor McGonagall added, "5 points to Gryffindor, Mr. Taite, for having read ahead," before she turned back to the class as a whole, "Today, as the first day of class, well simply be a reviewing day. I hope I don't need to remind anyone that NEWT's are at the end of the year - you should be studying even more than usual this year..."

* * *

"Class dismissed."

Everyone immediately started packing their bags - everyone but Malfoy who instead grabbed my arm and looked at Lily.

"I'd like to talk to Gr-my cousin privately for a moment, if you don't mind."

Lily looked surprised that he had asked her but nodded in the affirmative before telling me she'd be waiting for me outside because we both had Arithmancy next. Harry's dad, upon hearing this, just _had_ to speak up.

"Oh, Lily flower! I'd be _honored_ if you allowed me to escort you to Arithmancy!"

"I'm waiting for _Mya_ outside."

"I'll wait with you!"

"You will not!"

I grinned as I watched them file out of the room along with everyone else Harry's dad shamelessly hitting on Lily the entire way.

Ow.

Malfoy had tugged sharply on my arm and dragged me to a corner.

"Listen, Granger, just because we have to pretend to be cousins here and we're going to pretend to be friends doesn't mean that I'm suddenly going to stop hating you and you will _not_ mention that we were even _pretending_ to be friends to _anyone_ when we get back. Is that clear?"

Ah,_ there's _the Malfoy bastard personality we all know and hate. What an egoistical prat.

" Crystal. Do you really believe, Malfoy, for _two_ seconds, that I'd actually _want_ to admit pretending to be your friend? Get over yourself, asshole."

Serves him right. Fuckin' little...argh. I must've still looked pissed when I came out of the room because Lily looked worried about me. I'm _so_ glad Professor McGonagall was in her office when that happened.

"Are you alright Mya? Get in a fight with Drake?"

You could say that.

"Bloodwise Drake's just my first cousin, but we're around eachother so much that it feels more like we're brother and sister - we argue half the time and get along the other half," I lied. There _is _no half that we get along during.

"I know what you mean. I have a sister and we argue _all_ the time. Especially after I started coming here

Lily looked so sad about it that I hated Harry's aunt Petunia more than ever. Something that's hard to do.

"Oh well. Ready to get to class?"

I said I was.

* * *

"Oh _gods_, that-that-that _thing_ is awful!" 

"I can't feel my eardrums."

I collapsed onto the first couch in the Gryffindor commmon room, massaging my poor, abused ears. I don't think Professor Samolson, the potions professor here, stopped yelling at us for more than a second at a time _all through class_. It was _awful_!

"Is he _always_ like that?"

"Uh huh."

Malfoy groaned from the other couch.

"Can't we drop _out_ of potions?"

"Technically, you could, but it wouldn't look good at all on your record."

"Just stupefy me now."

I snickered. I guess 'stupefy me now' is the magical equivalent of 'just shoot me now'

"Are you actually _laughing_ at me Gr-Mya? Please tell me you're not actually _laughing_ at _me_."

I couldn't help it, I burst out laughing even more. There was a moment of silence from the others before Lily started to giggle quietly, followed by Harry's dad laughing and the rest of them joining in. Everyone but Malfoy, of course, he just groaned again and covered his head with one of the pillows.

We stayed like that for a while, slowly calming down, until Lily jumped up suddenly.

"C'mon, Mya, it's almost supper time, we should start heading down to the Great Hall.

"Allow me to escort you, oh dear Lily flower!"

Lily blushed but still glared at Harry's dad before grabbing my hand and.pulling me after her.

"No. Potter!"

She shrieked. Harry's dad had just scooped her up and out through the portrait hole.

"Fear not, my fair flower! Your hero is here!"

I laughed with the others until I heard Harry's dad-

"No! Lily! I _need _that bone! Ouch! Stop it! Lily flower!"

I decided that I should probably be out there and quickly hurried through the Fat Lady's portrait and down the hallway.

"Don't hurt him so much he'll have to go to the Hospital Wing, Lily, you'll get in trouble!"

"It'd be worth it!"

"Ouch! Lily flower!"

* * *

"Hey, Mya, are you still awake?" 

I rolled over in my bed to face Lily's when I heard her whispering.

"Yeah, why?"

"Do you-do you really think I hurt James?"

James? Right, Harry's dad.

"I sincerely doubt it, Lily. After all, he plays Quidditch, right? I don't think you were able to hurt him just by punchinncg and pinching his arm."

"Oh. I'm-I'm glad I didn't."

I waited for a moment for her to continue and spoke up when she didn't.

"Where's this all coming from all of a sudden, Lily?"

I heard the telltale sound of cloth sliding on cloth and knew she had shrugged.

"I don't know...well, I do know, but...promise you won't say anything to anyone else, especially the other girls?"

I propped my head up on my hand and looked in her general direction. This is getting interesting.

"I promise. What's up?"

Lily heaved a sigh and then started talking quickly.

"I think I like James - I mean - I _know _I like James - a lot - and I _think_ I might have for a while now but - I-I don't know...I don't know what I don't know, actually, does that make any sense? I'm so incredibly confused whenever I think about him and the other girl's don't help. They keep telling me I should go for it but I don't know if they're right because they've always liked him - even when he was an egoistical prat - but he's better now - a lot better - I just don't know how I'm supposed to explain to them that I'm just confused about him. If I ever mentioned even _possibly_having _some_ feelings for him they'd just flip out and automatically think wedding bells and you certainly didn't help with that - I mean, I'm not mad at you or anything, but..."

Poor Lily. She really does sound so confused.

"Di-did you really mean what you said last night, about how you think I'm going to marry James? Is that even a possibility?"

"I'm positive it'll happen, Lily."

"Really, Mya, honest? Because, I-I'm not so sure that would be a bad thing anymore."

"Honest, Lily, honest. And I have the strongest feeling that you guyis'll probably start going out sometime this year."

I _know_ they will. And I know it'll be while I'm here, thanks to Sirius' letters over the summer.

"You just have to give him a chance. You said it yourself, after all, he's not an egoistical prat anymore."

There was a pause before-

"Thanks, Mya."

"No problem."

I was drifting off to sleep when I could've sworn I heard her mutter 'I think I will give him a chance' but then again, maybe I just heard that because I'm exhausted. I'll ask her about it if I remember in the morning...


	12. 11:Hanging Out In '76

Eulogizing Memoirs

Amelie Rae Lanhoss

**A/N-Review responses are in my bio; Hello all, yes, I _am_ still alive – and sorry for not updating sooner. I hope everyone had a happy, fun, safe, and at least semi-sober holiday! This chapter was written thanks to Hannah, A.K.A. Lilly Harroway, who knocked some sense into me the other day; if it wasn't for her I'd probably still be debating in which direction to go. So, thanks Hannah! Welcome back Fawkes-06! Thanks also to all the nice people who said they were sorry for my cat. I can't tell you guys how much that meant to me. Anyways…I'm off to study for my Mid-Terms that I have to take tomorrow…I _still_ haven't started and there's all those _rules_ and _exceptions_ to remember groans This is, of course, dedicated, as always, in ever loving memory of K.M.L. – exactly two years, three months, and a day after his death day.**

**-C.R.C.**

Chapter 11-Hanging Out In '76

Wow the week's passed by really, _really_ quickly. I think I might still be in shock…I'm actually _living_ in _1976_! 1976! That's before I was even _born_!

"Awake yet, Mya?"

"Do I have to be?"

Lily's laughing at me now. Hey! That wasn't very nice of her!

"Don't throw pillows at me!"

It's amazing, I've been here only a week but I'm sure I've slept more this week than any other week I've spent at Hogwarts; excluding, of course, the ones I've spent in the Hospital Wing before. For some reason, ever since I've been in this year I fall asleep as soon as my head touches the pillow at night and I sleep in every morning unless Lily wakes me up. On the plus side…well, I'm never really tired anymore.

"Mya, get up please."

"I'm getting up Lily, I'm getting up," I grumbled good-naturedly, stretching under the light covers.

"I-I'm serious, Mya, I need – I need your opinion on something important."

Uh oh. She sounds really nervous for some reason. What's wrong? What happened to make her sound so nervous?

"Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, it's fine, I just," she sighed loudly. I sat up, she sounds like she's about to make a life-changing decision or something.

"What is it Lily?"

"I-I was thinking, Mya, and, see…I thought…ma-maybe next time James asks me to-to go out with him…you know, on a-a date? Maybe…maybe I won't say no – what do you think?"

I grinned and jumped out of bed to give her a hug. Yay! This is the beginning of Harry! Well, in a way it's the beginning of Harry.

"_I_ think – I think it's absolutely wonderful that you're considering giving him a chance!"

"You really think that? You don't think I'm making a mistake or something?"

Poor Lily, she sounds so scared and nervous.

"Of course you aren't making a mistake – he really cares about you Lily, that's obvious…besides, I promise to personally neuter him if he ever hurts you."

I'm glad that got her to laugh.

"What about Alma? Do you think maybe he likes her instead now?"

"Alma-Shmalma, who cares about her? C'mon, let's go to breakfast."

"Okay," Lily giggled, "but you're still not dressed, Mya."

I looked down at myself. Right, I'm wearing a borrowed gray cotton spaghetti-strap top and borrowed blue pajama shorts with ducks all over them.

"So…give me a minute to change and _then_ we can go down and breakfast next to your Prince Charming! _Scourgify_! There, that's clean enough for until we go shopping today."

I had, unfortunately, been wearing the same uniform all week – although I _did_ cast a cleaning charm on it every morning. Lily and the other girls always seem to find that funny for some reason. Maybe because the war hasn't started yet here and no one's had to get used to wearing the same clothes for a couple days straight while working – meaning just using a cleaning charm on clothes might seem a little unusual.

"Or," Lily sounds like she's about to tease me now, "or we could just go now, I'm sure the guys in the Great Hall wouldn't mind."

Oh my god. I know I'm blushing bright red now. That's another weird thing about being in this year instead of the normal year – in normal Hogwarts I never got a second look from a guy and here guys keep asking me out! It's creepy! Of course, with the Glamour the Headmaster put on me and Malfoy I look half-decent now and my hair always looks fine but still…it's just not normal.

I certainly can't let Lily get away with saying _that,_ now can I? Especially since she's now laughing at me.

"Why Lily, already so anxious to see your Prince?"

Now it's _her_ turn to blush – oh how revenge is sweet.

"No! I was only thinking of how Sirius would react to seeing you like that."

Ew…Sirius is my closest friends – it's kind of disgusting to think of him in _that _way.

"Oh! Stuff it Lily!"

I threw a pillow at her laughing form and retreated to the bathroom. I get now why Sirius always blushed when I teased him by saying he must have had a crush on Mya – he knew that, eventually, I'd realize he was always talking about me and it would've been _beyond_ awkward when I came home if he _had_ said he'd had a crush on Mya. But, the thing is, sometimes he actually _does _act like he has a crush on me. The Sirius of this year, I mean, not the real Sirius I first met.

"Mya? Are you almost done?"

I must have been thinking longer than I imagined. Just have to brush my teeth now that hair's no longer a problem

"Coming, Lils."

Once I was done we headed downstairs towards the Great Hall…Lily still seems to be bothered by whether or not she's doing the right thing giving James a chance.

"He deserves a chance Lily, it'll be fine."

At least she looks somewhat comforted.

"You really think so?"

"Yup, now come on. Let's go sit next to your Prince Charming."

"Stop calling him that!" she whispered as we neared the Marauders.

"Hello my beautiful Lily-flower! How are you doing on this almost-as-beautiful-as-you morning?"

"Fine and yourself James?"

I'm doing everything I can to _not_ laugh. Harry's dad looks so surprised that Lily's actually asked him a seemingly genuine question about his well-being; he looks in awe of something.

"I-I'm doing wonderful, p-my pretty flower! Even better now that you're _here_!"

James looks like he can hardly believe his good fortune…and Lily's blushing lightly.

"That's…ah, very flattering. Don't forget we have to bring Mya and Drake into Hogsmeade today so they can buy their new clothes and-and supplies."

"You wound me Lily-dearest! I would _never_ forget something as important as my Head duties! Never!"

"Unless it interferes with our pranking schedule – right Remus?" Sirius cut in.

"Well we're leaving right after breakfast, James, so hurry up."

With that Lily stood up, pulling me up after her.

"I've barely touched my toast!"

Even _I_ was never this bad to Ron and Harry! Except for once…or twice…or a few other times but not often!

"I promise to hurry for you, Lily-flower! I'll meet you in the Entrance Hall in a minute for our double date!"

"Double date!?!?" I heard Malfoy say incredulously, "That's disgusting Potter, she's a m-first cousin of mine! And besides, if you think school shopping's a date there's something wrong with your masculinity."

I breathed a sigh of relief – Malfoy had remembered to _not_ call me 'mudblood' as _that_ would have definitely sounded somewhat strange. I saw a glimpse of Harry's dad staring in shock at Malfoy's outburst and a few guys around them laughing their heads off before Lily pulled me out of the Hall and the big doors closed behind us.

"Do you think I looked desperate?"

Desperate? Why would she think that? Whatever happened to the Lily Evans I met a week ago who always acted confident in herself?

"Lily, _please_ don't tell me you're one of those girls who's always worried about what her possible future-boyfriend might think of her."

She looks surprised.

"What?"

"You're acting like it really matters to you how James perceives you now – it shouldn't matter. He's followed you around for years now, right? You never cared what you looked like to him then and he still constantly asked you out – you shouldn't have to care now either and he should _still_ ask you out."

That sounded really, really corny. Might as well have added a 'he should like you for _you_' in there. But I think I got the point across at least, Lily's blinking kind of dazedly now and looking straight ahead.

"You know what, Mya? You're absolutely right!" She stopped, turned and looked at me suddenly, "I really _was_ acting that pathetic, wasn't I?"

I nodded my head in mock disappointment, "yup, you were."

"Ah! What brought on the hug?"

She laughed and pulled back before speaking, "what would I have done without you, Mya?"

"Looked pathetic over a guy," I supplied her cheerfully. We both started laughing and were only starting to calm down when Malfoy and Harry's dad joined us.

"My dearest Lily-flower! Allow me the honor of escorting you to Hogsmeade!"

With that Harry's dad pulled on Lily's arm and set off down the path, Malfoy and I following them.

"I don't need an escort, James!"

"Of course you do, my gorgeous Flower Princess! What if evil rogues were to try and steal away my fair lady?"

"Do not _ever_ call me Flower Princess unless you'd like to be personally introduced to a muggle concept called neutering!"

"But of course! I had forgotten you were above that my darling flower goddess!"

"Potter!"

"Fall back, Granger," Malfoy said lowly so Lily and James couldn't hear him as he tugged on my elbow.

"What is it?"

Why would he want to talk to me? We've barely talked at all this week…and why is he taking so long to answer?

"Granger…I suppose…you were right, as always. Not all the lions are bad. Sure Lopen's a goody-goody but Fenwick's pretty cool and so is Tim Prewett – even though he looks scarily like a Weasley almost. But…it's not all bad – tell anyone I said that when we get back and I'll kill you."

I snorted, "I wouldn't _dream_ of tarnishing your perfect reputation as an asshole, Malfoy."

"What's up? Are you guys coming?"

"Yup, of course, we were just…talking."

"I had a dream last night."

"I bet he dreamed of you and me together, my pretty Lily!"

"Shut it James!"

* * *

"Nice shopping trip Jamesie?" Sirius asked James teasingly. Malfoy snorted and answered the question for him.

"Are you kidding? Not only was it freakishly warm for September but do you have any idea how _long_ it took? I had no idea Gr-my cousin could act like such a-a _girly-girl_," he mocked a frightened shiver and left everyone laughing while he headed over to Benjy Fenwick.

"Oh no!" Harry's dad yelled suddenly, "forgive me my dearest Lily-flower!"

Forgive him for what? And why did he just get down on his knees in front of her?

"I completely forgot to ask you so far today! Oh my fair Lady Lily! Would you do me the utmost honor of going with me to Hogsmeade on the next Hogsmeade weekend?"

I bit my lip and watched Lily carefully…say yes, Lily, say yes!

"Well…alright then, I will."

This was clearly not what Harry's dad was expecting; if it was his eyes certainly wouldn't have gotten so wide.

"A-are you s-serious? You have to be serious! Yippee! I finally got her to agree Padfoot! Did you hear her Moony? She said yes! Celebrate with me Wormtail, she said yes!"

Lily blushed bright red as James stood in the middle of the common room and did his version of a victory dance.

"Scoochy, scoochy! You're sitting with me now!"

Lily looked startled when James nudged her to move off the armchair she had been sitting on and even more startled when he proceeded to pull her onto his lap after _he'd_ sat down on her armchair.

"Ahh! I wasn't expecting that!"

"Clearly," Remus laughed, "but I bet there's an ulterior motive for you saying yes, Lily. Surely you, an intelligent girl, wouldn't decide to suddenly fall for James' nonexistent charms."

"Hey! I resent that! My charms are entirely existent!"

Lily was still blushing furiously from her position on James' lap and she seemed eager to change the subject.

"So, Mya, when are _you_ going to fall for Sirius' nonexistent charms?"

I opened my mouth to speak when the letters Sirius had written me over the summer came into my head.

_Dear Mione,_

_Did I tell you about the time Mya and I had a race to see who could swim out the farthest in the lake at Hogwarts? It was hilarious, almost everything with Mya was hilarious. Anyways, it came about because of a sort-of dare. The six of us(me, Peter, Remus, James, Lily and Mya) were sitting in the common room laughing because, well I don't really remember why but Lily had just agreed to go on a date with James so pretty much everyone was happy, Lily was blushing and everything, and then Remus made a joke about her and James, which made us all laugh, at least I think that was what we were laughing at. Anyways, Lily said something about when were me and Mya going to hook up. I was all for joking about it and asking her out there but before I could say anything she said something about copying Lily in our 5th year and telling me she'd rather date the Giant Squid than me if I ever asked her out. I told her she should start dating the Giant Squid now. Next thing I know she's saying she'll swim out to the middle of the lake if I promise to dive in after and swim out with her. James and Remus and Peter kept saying things like 'oh no Sirius is gonna let a girl beat him at something' and stuff like that, how was I supposed to say no? In all honesty I never expected her to actually go through with it, usually she was like Lily and refused to break rules, but she did go through with it, I was pretty surprised but dove in anyways. She said swimming was one of the things she was best at and challenged me to a race, 'if I was man enough'. We were pretty much neck and neck, even though I'm sure she remembers it differently. We only got about three quarters of the way to the middle of the lake before Samolson (Potions teacher) caught us, he was furious! By then there was a whole crowd of people watching our race. Samolson made us get out and started yelling at us. At one point he asked us (sarcastically of course) what we were thinking. I'll never forget his face when Mya said she was 'obviously thinking about swimming', I swear, the man blew at least a dozen blood vessels! He turned so red. Anyways in the end we both got two nights worth of detention scrubbing out cauldrons and we each lost 20 points but it was worth it._

I closed my mouth and grinned, _this_ was _definitely_ going to be fun.

"Please, Lily, if he ever asked me I'd have to take a page out of your book and tell him I'd rather date the Giant Squid."

"I suggest you start going steady with the Squid now then, Mya."

Oh god, I can't believe he's smiling at me like _that_! Breathe, Hermione, breathe. Remember, this isn't the same Sirius you know twenty years from now. What am I supposed to say again? Oh yeah.

"I should date the Squid now then? Tell you what, Sirius, it's reasonably warm outside, isn't it? I'll dive into the lake and swim if you follow me. I'll race you to the middle of the lake and back…if you're man enough, of course. And you should know I'm a pretty decent swimmer."

"Oooooh! You're not going to take that standing down, are you Padfoot?"

"Sirius is going to let a girl beat him at something athletic!"

"Way to go, Mya!"

"I'm _not_ going to let her beat me! Miss Mya Taite, I accept, prepare to lose!"

"I will _not _lose!" I teased him back.

The cheers from Remus, Lily, James and Wormtail followed Sirius and I all the way down to the lake. Next thing I knew we were standing on a pier-type thing that isn't here twenty years from now with people who had been lounging around the lake looking at us curiously. Why oh why did I not think this through? I should've at _least_ brought a swimsuit! Deep breath in…and in I go!

"Ahhhhhh!"

"Holy shit!"

"She actually did it!"

"You can't swim in there! It's not allowed!"

"The new girl just jumped into the lake!?!"

"What was she thinking?"

Brr, okay, so the water's just a _tad_ colder than I expected but oh well. I'll just ignore the people on shore looking at me like I'm crazy for treading water here and goad Sirius into jumping in too.

"C'mon Black, are you man enough or aren't you?"

"Do it, Sirius! Do it!"

He hesitated for a second before taking off his shirt and diving in next to me…and I so did _not_ think things you're not supposed to think about your best friend when he took his shirt off! Definitely not _me_!

"K, Lily! You call ready, set, go!" I turned to Sirius and decided to change the race slightly, "All the way to the other side, okay?"

He nodded his head up and down, "Deal."

"I don't know if this is such a good idea after all Mya."

"Oh come on, Lily-flower, it's a wonderful idea! _You_ call it, Remus."

"Alright, on your mark! Get set! Goooo!"

We both immediately set off…I don't think Sirius swims a lot.

_We were pretty much neck and neck, even though I'm sure she remembers it differently._

Of course I'll remember it differently! This is _not _neck and neck, I'm about a head ahead of him! Oh _god_…_I'm _not used to swimming anymore either, I can feel my muscles starting to strain. We've got to have a good portion swum already, don't we?

"What the heck is going on out here?!? Taite! Black! Get your asses over here _now_!"

Oops. I forgot that we were caught by Professor Samolson. Didn't Sirius write that in the letter too?

"Shit."

"Language, Sirius."

I looked over at him and could tell he wasn't at all bothered to be in trouble – and of course he wouldn't be – he's a Marauder after all. He actually kind of looks _happy_ to be in trouble.

"Start swimming back _now_, Black! You too, Taite!"

I exchanged a look with Sirius and started swimming back. What happens next?

_We only got about three quarters of the way to the middle of the lake before Samolson (Potions teacher) caught us, he was furious! By then there was a whole crowd of people watching our race. Samolson made us get out and started yelling at us. At one point he asked us (sarcastically of course) what we were thinking. I'll never forget his face when Mya said she was 'obviously thinking about swimming', I swear, the man blew at least a dozen blood vessels! He turned so red. Anyways in the end we both got two nights worth of detention scrubbing out cauldrons and we each lost 20 points but it was worth it._

Oh god. I can't believe I'm actually going to say that to a teacher! Almost to the shore, we're standing up now and splashing the rest of the way there. Wow, if there was one thing Sirius remembered right in that letter it's definitely the crowd – there's got to be almost a hundred people here! Well…at least, it _looks_ like a hundred.

"Swimming in the lake is explicitly against school rules! Do you have any idea how many dangerous creatures live in there?!? I don't care that you're new here, Taite, it's a matter of having common sense! I don't suppose either of you would care to enlighten me as to what could have _possibly_ been going on in your dense heads?"

Now is when you say it, oh god, I'm actually doing this.

"Well, with all due respect sir, I thought it was pretty clear that I was obviously thinking about swimming."

Now is so _not_ the time to laugh – even though almost everyone in the crowd is. Sirius was right though, Professor Samolson _does_ look like he blew a dozen blood vessels. His face is turning a weird, splotchy color.

"INSIDE! NOW!"

I didn't know someone could, well, _roar_ like that.

"TWENTY POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR! EACH! AND DETENTION SCRUBBING CAULDRONS UNTIL I TELL YOU TO STOP! GET IN, GET INSIDE NOW!"

Okay, so this _is _really, _really_ funny – the professor's _face_! I understand why Sirius looks like he wants to burst out laughing…oh god I can't believe he actually gave Professor Samolson a mock salute! I definitely don't blame the professor for his reaction to _that_.

"GET INSIDE _NOW_, BLACK! OR SO HELP ME MERLIN I'LL MAKE YOU REGRET IT FOR THE REST OF YOUR DAYS!"

And then he set off chasing Sirius all the way up to the school. I'm definitely not going to stop laughing all day now.


	13. 12:Back To School Marauder Style

Eulogizing Memoirs

Amelie Rae Lanhoss

**A/N-Review responses are in my bio; I really need to update this more often – it seems like every time I go to update I have a million and one things to tell you guys and I never say them all…for example, my birthday was way back in October, did I ever mention that? I don't think so…I _still_ have a million and one things to tell you guys but I'm controlling myself (who wants to read through an unbearably long author's note anyways?) and just asking for two favors. Firstly, who is Anyone know? Secondly…damn, I know there was a second favor I meant to ask…oh well. Dedicated in ever loving memory of K.M.L. and for Caleb, who's now almost five months old and would have been his first little brother**

**-C.R.C.**

Chapter 12-Back To School Marauder Style

Ew.

That's all I have to say, ew. What do Samolson's third years _brew _anyways? Super glue? And why don't they clean out their own cauldrons? There's an idea!

What the heck!

"What was that for?"

Sirius looked at me innocently, or rather, as innocent as he could look.

"What was what for?"

I frowned at him but turned back to my bucket of soapy water anyway. My first weekend in 1976 and I have detention scrubbing cauldrons; Samolson's almost as bad as Professor Snape was – is – will be. I always get my tenses messed up in my head now; I always seem to end up confusing myself too…

Hey! That was _so_ uncalled for!

"You _can't _tell me _that_ was nothing!"

"What was nothing, Mya dear?"

Fine, I give up, I'm not saying anything back; I'll just get my revenge. I guess I'm smiling evilly or something because now Sirius' looking like a cross between nervous, unsure, and slightly scared.

"That's a truly creepy smile, Mya, y'know that?"

I can't wait to see his face after this! Coming up – one wet Snuffles! I grinned at him with the bucket in my hands, slowly moving closer. I know Sirius isn't stupid but he doesn't seem like he's caught on yet to what I'm going to do. Of course, I'm definitely not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. It only took a quick movement to have him standing there soaking wet and soapy. At the shocked look on his face I couldn't help it – I burst out laughing.

"You are _so_ dead, Taite!"

Oh god he looks like he's going to drench _me _with _his _bucket!

"Ah!"

"Run while you can, Mya! Next time I won't just throw a sponge at you!"

Oh _god_, I don't think I've ever laughed as hard as now, he just looks so _funny_! And he's picking up another sponge. Crap.

"Augh!"

I think – I think that, if it were possible, I'd be laughing even harder than before. That was hilarious! First he comes at me ready to dump a bucket of soapy water and then he slips on the water still on the ground and falls! I don't believe it – it looked just like someone falling in cartoons does. I can't breathe; I don't usually laugh this hard!

"S-smooth, Black," I managed to choke out, "very smooth and _oh_ so intimid – ah!"

I can't believe he just pulled me down too!

"Not funny, not funny at all."

"Oh come on, My, you thought it was hilarious a minute ago when I was the only one down here."

He's laughing at me – forgetting the fact that I laughed at him not two seconds ago – I should be a lot madder at him than I am, he's laughing at me!

"C'mon, Mya."

Did – did he just kiss me on the cheek?

"Up, up, up, Samolson'll probably be checking on us in a bit."

"Professor Samolson," I doubt I'll ever stop automatically correcting people when they don't call a professor by their title. Sirius just waved my reminder away.

"Yah, yah. Y'know, you and Lily are the only non-professors I know who insist on calling professors professors. And even some professors don't insist on being called professors, which seems weird to me, I mean, if I worked to become a professor I'd make everyone – professors and non-professors call me a professor, y'know what I mean, fellow non-professor?"

I stared at him, and waited a minute – trying to sort out what the _hell_ he'd just said – before blinking and answering.

"Er, no, Sirius, I actually have _no_ idea what you're talking about."

He grinned, seemingly proud of himself, and looked like he was about to say something when the door slammed open in the regular Samolson and future-Professor-Snape fashion. I've never seen a professor gape so openly like Samolson is now, it's impressive to see just how round and wide his eyes can get.

"What – wha- what the –" he looks like he's just regained his normal impulses again, "no – just – just no – what –" and here comes the explosion, "OUT! GET OUT! NOW!" And there's that lovely shade of red again.

"GET OUT!"

Okay, Siri, time to run.

"Sorry, sir," I would've felt bad without saying at least that.

"GET _OUT_! NOW!"

I followed Sirius' mad dash out into the dungeon corridor.

"C'mon, c'mon."

I'm laughing as hard as he is now – why does it feel like we just survived something big? Or, rather, did something hugely against the rules and got away with out? I'm going to stop analyzing everything now, I really am. I'm twenty years in the past after all – nothing'll really make sense – so, I'll just have fun.

Laughing hard in somewhat hysterical relief Sirius and I slowly made our way back to Gryffindor tower.

* * *

"No." 

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"_No_."

Lily threw herself on the couch next me, interrupting the childish semi-argument I was having with Sirius. Both of us stopped talking and looked at her when she sighed heavily and didn't make any further moves to speak.

"What's wrong, Lily?"

"Nothing. How'd your detention go?"

Sirius jumped at that cue and instantly started telling how red Samolson had turned again. Lily cut him off almost immediately.

"That's interesting, Sirius, can Mya and I have some time for girl talk," she said it more like a statement than a question despite the way her sentence was worded and grabbed my hand, pulling me upstairs to the girls' dorm. I glanced over my shoulder at Sirius to see him giving Lily's back a puzzled glance before turning to me and raising an eyebrow. I shrugged at him. I have no idea what's up with Lily either.

As soon as we'd reached the seventh years dorm she closed the door behind us and motioned for me to sit on the edge of my bed. I have no idea what she's planning on doing but she's acting weirder and weirder and it's starting to scare me. Why is she just pacing there? What, exactly, is going on?

"So."

I waited for her to go on before prompting, "so?"

She sighed heavily again.

"Are you fighting with Drake?"

I blinked. That came from nowhere.

"Uh," now how am I supposed to answer that? "Er, no, not to my knowledge."

She smiled. Why does she look so relieved by that?

"Good. Good, because, family is everything, y'know? Or, at least, it should be. And – and families should stick together. That's the most important part of family."

I nodded slowly. Where's she going with this? I definitely wasn't expecting Malfoy – Drake to have anything to do with why she dragged me up here.

"Okay, Lils. Where's this coming from anyways?"

Crap. Maybe I shouldn't have asked that. She looks like she's about to cry, those are definitely tears in her eyes.

"I just had a fight with my sister, the worse fight ever." She sniffled, making me feel even worse about having asked. "And – and our parents are dead so she's – she's all the family I have left, y'know? And we always end up having fights over magic through owls. She thinks I shouldn't be here, that I should've stayed in 'regular' school and…I just wish we could be best friends again, like we were when we were little, and…"

She trailed off and started crying – incredibly unlike the Lily Evans I had known so far. I stood up and hugged her.

"Hey, it's alright, some day – and some day soon, believe me – you'll start your own family all over." And before your son's two years old you and your husband will both be dead but let's not go there. I will _not_ make myself cry with her. It'll only worry her.

She hugged back before pulling away.

"Thanks, Mya, I needed that." She smiled brightly again. "Anyways, that's why I'm going to force you and Drake to spend time together – you're family and you're stuck with each other for all eternity. Plus, you both can see the future and I bet it'll be a weight of both your shoulders when you talk about your dreams to each other. Promise me you'll make an effort to feel like Drake's your brother again."

How am I supposed to say no after she's just told me about her fights with Harry's muggle aunt Petunia and how family's important to her…and seeing her standing there so determined to make Malfoy and I 'brother' and 'sister' is breaking my heart.

"Sure Lily, I promise, let's go back downstairs, kay?"

She nodded happily and led the way back down the stairs to the common room. At the foot of the stairs she immediately headed off to the corner where Malfoy, Benjy Fenwick, and another guy were alternately working and laughing at something.

"Hey Drake!"

The three at the table looked up to see Lily and me coming nearer.

"Ah…yes? Evans?"

"Hi Drake," she smiled at the other two at the table, "Benjy, Tim."

All three looked surprised.

"Er, hi Lily."

The boy identified as Tim just nodded uncertainly. Lily turned to Malfoy.

"Your cousin, some of the girls, the marauders, and I were just heading down to the kitchens for an ice cream break. Mya and I thought we'd invite you three along."

"We'll come," Benjy Fenwick replied immediately. Both Malfoy and Tim looked at him strangely. Malfoy agreed slowly and Tim, once again, simply nodded uncertainly.

"Great!" Well, Lily looks thrilled. "We'll just meet you guys at the portrait, we have to round everyone else up." She gave them a last smile before turning to the table where the other girls in our dorm were sitting.

"Everyone up, ice cream break." Although they all looked at her strangely Kat Calone, Allison Figg, and Sally Ialis all obediently stood and walked, chatting, over to the portrait. The ever-annoying and Pansy-like Alma, however, merely looked up at Lily…and is certainly _not_ going to make a mean comment – Lily definitely doesn't need one right now and so I won't let her. Alma, that is. Before she could open her mouth to say anything mean I immediately jumped in.

"You're absolutely right not to come, Alma. You've got to lose that extra weight somehow." I smiled sickeningly sweet at her, all the time marveling at my own cattyness. I didn't know I could actually talk like Lav and Parvati used to. Pulling Lily by the arm I waved the marauders over to the portrait hole and exited the common room with everyone else.

"That was brilliant, Mya!"

I grinned.

"Thanks, Lils."

Benjy Fenwick, Malfoy and Quiet-Tim were in front of the rest of us, followed by Sally Ialis, Kat Calone, and Allison Figg who kept throwing comments up to them. Lily and I were behind our three roommates and ahead of the marauders who had only just exited the portrait.

"So where are we going, Lily-flower? It doesn't matter, of course, as long as you're with me!"

Lily pushed James – I can't believe I actually just thought of him as James and not 'Harry's dad' – playfully away and I could've kissed him at that moment. After her fight with Harry's Cruella de Ville-ish aunt Petunia, Lily needed to hear someone tell her exactly what James just said. Maybe one good thing came out of Lily and evil-Petunia's fight after all; Lily isn't pushing James gently away this time when he's draped an arm around her shoulders, instead she's smiling up at him. I grinned before turning back around, noticing that Sirius had appeared next to me and was looking over my shoulder too. He cheerily pretended to wipe away a tear.

"Ah, young love, isn't it beautiful, Mya?"

Both James and Lily blushed although Lily managed to speak anyways while looking like a tomato.

"Stop it, Sirius. And we're going to get ice cream in between doing homework for everyone who didn't know."

"Works for me," Sirius grinned again and slung an arm around my shoulders. He slung an arm around my shoulders. What the hell! I looked up at him surprised. He just smiled mysteriously and started dragging me to the front of our group where Malfoy, Benjy Fenwick and Quiet-Tim were.

"Hey, Taite!"

Malfoy turned around and arched an eyebrow like Sirius had done earlier when Lily had dragged me up to our dorm. Is the arching-an-eyebrow-thing some kind of pureblood thing anyways? I've seen Snape do it a million times too.

"Yeah, Black?"

"What would you say if I told you I was dating your cousin?"

"_What_?"

What the hell is he on about? We're not dating! That'd be too weird, he's my best friend. I was so busy staring up incredulously at him and pulling out from under his arm that I almost missed Malfoy's grin.

"I've got no problem with it, mate, but it looks like she does. Might want to ask the lady before going around telling people you're dating."

"We are _not_ dating!"

I turned to Malfoy and glared at him. I think I'll just examine my astonishment at the fact that he called a Gryffindor 'mate' later and stay mad for now.

"Ah!"

I looked at Sirius curiously when he grabbed his chest and pretended to stumble slightly. What's he up to now?

"You wound me, My, you really do."

Psh. I rolled my eyes.

"You're just being dramatic, Black."

Everyone else started laughing as Sirius put on a 'wounded puppy' face.

"C'mon, m-Mya," I'm surprised, Malfoy doesn't look like it hurt him too much to actually call me by my name. Okay…so it's a fake name, but still, he's only ever referred to me as mudblood, Granger, our 'my cousin' before.

Malfoy grinned jokingly.

"C'mere and let your big brave cousin protect you from the big bad Sirius Black."

I can actually laugh along with everyone for that one. Oh the irony. Sixteen years from now when people say 'big bad Sirius Black' it won't be as a joke. But I'm in 1976 now, nothing bad has happened…yet. I forced myself to play along with the joke and pretended to be cowering behind Malfoy's – or my 'big brave cousin' – cloak.

"Please, don't hurt me big bad Mister Sirius Black," I said in a high-pitched voice.

Malfoy grinned, looking surprised. While everyone was laughing he grasped me by the elbow and leaned down to my ear.

"You're not so bad, Granger, I'm impressed."

Wow. I never thought I'd hear Malfoy use my name and the word's 'not so bad' willingly in the same sentence, or phrase even. Some of my shock has to be showing; Malfoy still looks pleased with himself though. I can't just leave it at that, can I? Don't I have to say something back? Something along the same lines?

As the laughter was dying down I stood on my toes to whisper into Malfoy's ear.

"You're not so bad yourself."

It feels strangely like something really big has just happened between us. Like all of a sudden we're closer to being friends than sworn enemies. Weird. I think he feels the same way too; he's certainly got the same expression on his face that I can easily imagine on mine.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't a band of _merry_ Gryffindors." The Slytherin speaking spit out the words 'merry' and 'Gryffindors' as if they were the foulest swear words on the planet. Something's supposed to happen here, I know it is…now what is it, damnit?

_Another guy with a crush on her, Frodo Benedict, wrote down all the bits of songs she used to sing, when he found the list he looked up the songs, mainly muggle tunes, but, that's what they're going to play at the party, all her favorites in 7th year. I just realized the 'bits of songs' part might sound confusing. It was this thing she did. She called it an 'intimidation tactic', I think. Whenever the little group of Slytherins (the ones who thought they were the coolest) started bothering us she'd say two or three lines of completely random lyrics. The (not so) poor bastards got so confused most of the time that they just looked at her strangely and muttered stuff about crazy witches while they were walking off. She scared them, not that they'll ever admit it. A secret? She scared the shit out of us too, the first time she did it. It didn't help that she started laughing hysterically as soon as they were gone. We were pretty worried about her until she explained it to us._

Random bits of song – I can do that, I practically live with the radio on over summer break. I licked my lips nervously and started speaking, a Gin Blossoms song springing to mind.

"How you gonna ever find your place? Running in an artificial pace…are they gonna find us lying face down in the sand? So what the hell now, we've already been forever damned," I grinned – somewhat too evilly, I'll admit – before saying the last line of the song. I understand now why Sirius remembered me laughing so hard, the Slytherins are looking scared out of their wits…well, if they _have_ any wits.

"Anywhere you go I'll follow you down..."

"Stalker!"

I've never heard a Slytherin speak in such a high-pitched tone. Malfoy looks disgusted with his House – or rather – _future_ House. Of course, he also looks scared of me. I couldn't help it, I started laughing loudly right there.

"Let's get the hell out of here."

"_I'm_ not about to bother a psychotic witch."

"Yeah, I don't have a death wish either."

Oh god. I watched the Slytherins hurry away, muttering under their breaths, with tears of laughter in my eyes. Life doesn't get much better than scaring Slytherins, nope, definitely doesn't.

"Ah, Mya? Are – are you alright, Mya? Feeling…er, all there?"

What?

Oh, that's right, I had forgotten.

_A secret? She scared the shit out of us too, the first time she did it. It didn't help that she started laughing hysterically as soon as they were gone. We were pretty worried about her until she explained it to us._

I grinned at them, although that doesn't seem like it's reassuring at all.

"I'm fine, guys. It's called an intimidation tactic."

I smiled cheerfully and linked one arm with my so-called cousin – who looked absolutely shocked – and Sirius – who was also looking at me concernedly. I didn't know getting Slytherins to go away by scaring them gave you such a cheerful outlook on life. I should've done that ages ago.

"Think about it. The Slyths probably all think I'm crazy now, but all I really did was say some random lyrics of songs back home and they got scared enough to leave."

I laughed, I couldn't help myself.

"Pathetic, no?"

"Those were just song lyrics? From songs back in Salem?"

I nodded, still smiling. I have _no_ idea why I'm so happy though. Oh well, I'd rather be happy than sad; I've had more than enough sadness to last me a lifetime. Sirius looks like he's starting to find how easily the Slytherins got scared funny too. So are some of the others. Good. No one thinks I'm crazy. I feel almost crazy though, I don't know why I keep grinning so much.

"Smart move, little cousin."

And Malfoy just complimented me. I don't think this day could get any weirder. Oh well, I've been shrugging off so many things lately anyways. Keeping my arms linked with Malfoy and Sirius' I started off down the hallway holding the painting leading to the kitchens.

"Let's get ice cream."


	14. 13:The Beginning Of The End Of An Era

Eulogizing Memoirs

Amelie Rae Lanhoss

**A/N-Most definitely for Spastic Asian; who gave me the kick in the ass I needed to finally get this latest chapter completely pulled together and posted. And of course for K.M.L.: who gave me inspiration years ago when you taught me to grow up – though I'd give anything for you to have taught me a different way. Speaking of teaching/learning, I have my first Driver's Ed. class at 9 in the morning and it's currently a bit past midnight (cringes) wish me luck! Review responses aren't in my bio right _now_ but I'll put them up as soon as I get back. So anyways, I hope you all enjoy the long overdue Chapter 13  
**

**-C.R.C.**

Chapter 13-The Beginning Of The End Of An Era

"Mya," Lily looked at me concernedly, "are you alright?"

I just nodded, I know I've been acting strangely all day but I'm incredibly nervous about what I'm supposed to be doing tonight.

_He laughed at this for a minute before settling down._

_"This is a quick funny story," he informed me, "it happened on the second Monday night of term. Now, Mya and Lily were more alike than just the fact that they could both have conversations with me minus any sexual innuendos; they were also both very, very smart and slightly obsessed with grades, well, from my 17-year old point of view anyway, and they both wanted all of us to start studying for our N.E.W.T's in September of our seventh year. Remus was the only one of us they could convince to study with them more than one night a week as James, Peter, and I did._

_"Anyways, on that Monday she had seemed pretty restless all day and no one knew why or quite how to go about asking her if anything was wrong. We, her and I, had been paired up on Friday of last week for a Herbology project. Professor Sprout said we would have to come down and check on our plants at least once a day though it would probably be better if we took care of them twice a day._

_"It was about an hour after supper in the Great Hall when she dragged me out of the common room to go see our plant. I have to admit that I kept complaining about how she had dragged me away from my friends until about halfway there when we heard Snape and a few other members of the group he sometimes hung out with talking and coming towards us, she pulled me behind a knight's armor statue and covered my mouth with her hand when I opened it to talk. She told me to keep quiet and then peered around the statue with her wand in hand. About a minute later she mumbled a spell I couldn't quite hear, the next thing I heard was a loud 'what the fuck Snape!'_

_"She tried to hide her grin from me before she motioned me to look out too. She had somehow jinxed Snape so that he was wearing only a fluffy pink towel around his waist and a pink flowery bathing cap. He was also holding a rubber duck and singing 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat' It was completely hilarious, I half expected soapy brushes to come at him. Our laughter, though, was how the other Slytherins caught us, we ended up running the rest of the way to the greenhouse."_

I don't know what the hell I was thinking when I cast those charms at Professor Snape that first time – or when I will – or – tenses confusion again. I have to just relax and…and…oh screw it, as soon as Malfoy and I are back in our time Professor Snape's going to kill me. I sighed loudly and looked up when I felt someone grab my arm and pull for me to stand up; Malfoy was looking back at me seeming…slightly worried, actually, if it would be possible for a Malfoy to be concerned about me…other then worrying that I'm _not_ dead.

"C'mon, My, lets get going to Herbology."

Surprised, I stood up to follow him out hearing Lily talk to Benjy behind us.

"Thanks for telling Drake to talk to Mya, I'm worried about her."

I could imagine Benjy's shrug easily.

"No problem, it's probably just a dream thing, Drake gets really quiet sometimes too and says that's the reason." The doors' closing prevented me from hearing anything else Benjy might have said. Instead Malfoy – who was still grasping my elbow – pulled me out into the courtyard off the hallway outside the Great Hall. He seemed uncomfortable as he paced the small area.

"I don't…your personal health – or lack there of in this case – doesn't worry me at all, Granger…but it _does_ worry some people."

I looked at him surprised as he ran a hand through his 1976-dark brown-almost-black-hair and muttered what sounded suspiciously like, "though I'll never understand _why_."

"The point is Granger – you've been acting weirder than usual the past couple of days and you've actually worried Evans enough that she asked Benjy to tell me to talk to you as your supposed cousin and only family member here. So. Whatever your problem is: snap out of it."

I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"Thanks, Malfoy, your concern is touching and all but I really don't need it, I'm fine."

He waved off my statement. "_I_ know that, but your weirdness has Evans worried about you. And…" He seemed to be going through some kind of inner battle, "frankly, I'm also finding it…it's a little…unsettling."

Did Malfoy just come dangerously close to actually saying that he worried about a Gryffindor and a Muggleborn at that!

"So – and I can't believe I'm saying this – you need to get better soon, Granger, no matter what you do, get better soon."

The words 'get better soon' seemed to echo strangely and we stood there not quite looking at each other for an indefinite number of minutes before Lily's head appeared from around the corner.

"Hey, you two! We're all going to be late to Herbology if you two don't get a move on."

"Coming," I smiled at her while Malfoy merely walked towards Benjy and Quiet-Tim. I followed in Malfoy's footsteps and exited the courtyard before smiling and chatting with Lily all the way down to the greenhouse where I sat next to Sirius – my partner for our current project. It took most of the way from that small courtyard to the relatively large greenhouse for me to force the same strange feeling I had first gotten on our way to get ice cream a while back to the back of my mind. Feeling as if there was a possibility – especially a _probable_ possibility – that Malfoy and I are closer to being friends than sworn enemies is a strange and scary feeling indeed.

* * *

"We have to check on our plant, Sirius" 

"Yeah, sure Mya, as soon as I'm done with this game." Siri smiled and waved me off before turning back to his game of Exploding Snap with Harry's dad.

"Come _on_ Sirius! Professor Sprout said we had to check on it more than once a day! Do you _want _to fail or something?" If we don't leave now I'm not sure I'll be able to get the courage again to hex Professor Snape.

"We won't fail, My, stop overreacting about schoolwork like Lily – just give me a few more minutes."

Overreacting? Can you even overreact about schoolwork in your N.E.W.T. year? Sometimes 17-year-old Sirius and James Potter are _so_ much like Ron and Harry.

"_Now_ Sirius, before we're stuck out past curfew." Amd with that I dragged Sirius by his arm out of his chair, across the common room, and to the portrait hole.

"Past curfew! We still have almost two hours left! Don't you think I have time for at least another game of Exploding Snap before that?"

"I'm sure you do, Siri, along with time for a second and third and fourth game even if not more but school's more important! And besides, afterwards I won't bother you at all and you can play Exploding Snap till you drift off from exhaustion."

"Never thought I'd see Sirius choose school over playing a game!" Remus called out from the other side of the room, laughing.

"Nah, mate," Harry's dad replied loudly as he dragged Lily into his lap again and wrapped her in a bear hug, "he's choosing following a pretty girl over playing a game. What else would get him away from a game of Exploding Snap?"

I fought a blush and pushed Sirius out into the hallway. He's my best friend for crying out loud! _Nothing_ is going to happen between us – blushing shouldn't even be a possibility! I shoved back the traitorous part of my mind that whispered how I wouldn't mind if something _were_ to happen and took a deep breath when I heard the Slytherin's coming. I quickly pulled Sirius behind a knight's armor: the unexpected motion actually causing him to stop complaining about how I had ripped him away from his friends just for a school project. He looked like he was about to talk– either to ask what I was doing or make some comment about how he 'knew' I just wanted to be alone with him, I wasn't sure – so I covered his mouth with my hand.

"_Be quiet_," I whispered before turning to peer around the armor-turned-hiding-place to see Professor Snape and younger versions of the Lestrange brothers and a woman who resembled Sirius – more than likely his cousin Bellatrix if she was hanging out with Professor Snape and the Lestrange's. Taking a deep breath and offering up a little prayer to the god I didn't believe in that Professor Snape _wouldn't _kill me when Drake – Malfoy, I can't believe I actually just thought of him as _Drake_ – and I were put back in our own time I carefully concentrated and pointed my wand at him.

"_Mens Mentis Exsertus Exertus_."

I ducked back around, surprising myself by smiling in anticipation. Sirius looked like he was about to talk again so I shook my head once and listened. Neither of us had to wait long.

"What the fuck, Snape!"

"What's _wrong_ with you!"

I grinned – slightly pleased at what I had done, I have to admit – and motioned for Sirius to look around the knight's armor we were still hiding behind. I looked around it with him and as soon as he started laughing loudly I did too - really, who wouldn't have at the sight of Severus Snape in an abnormally _fluffy_ pink towel and flowery bathing cap? Add the fact that he was holding a yellow rubber ducky in one hand and singing a children's nursery rhyme, who wouldn't have collapsed in laughter?

"Where's the laughing coming from?"

"Behind the armor! I bet it's those damned Gryffs again!"

"We're going to hex you into the next millenium!"

Despite the fact that I was still doubled over in unstoppable laughter I managed to leap to my feet, drag Sirius up with me, and take off down the hall while the Slytherins continued chasing us. We escaped into the relative safety of Hogwarts' rolling front lawn still laughing - and now wheezing too - but didn't stop running until we were in the Greenhouse where Siri grabbed my hands and spun me around, laughing. And then he kissed me. He kissed me. _Kissed me_! If he wasn't spinning me around again I wouldn't be moving at all. He _kissed_ me. And was somehow able to completely brush it off and just keep laughing and spinning me around. He actually kissed me. Granted it was over as quickly and suddenly as it had started but I can't believe he _kissed_ me!

"That was brilliant Mya! _You're_ brilliant! I can't believe-" he broke off to laugh some more, "did you _see_ the Slytherins' faces? They couldn't believe it either! You're amazing! You totally _have_ to show us _all _that spell when we get back up to the tower!"

Still laughing he dragged me over to where our plant was, the laughter had been completely shocked out of me - I can't believe Sirius never said anything about kissing Mya. I can't believe he kissed me.

* * *

"This is so boring." 

Well we're _studying for N.E.W.T._s! Nastily _Exhausting_ Wizarding Tests! Did he actually expect it to be a roller coaster ride of fun or something? Both Lily and I glared at Sirius for his casual attitude towards what might be _the_ thing that most influences what we can do once we graduate from Hogwarts but James stopped writing and threw his quill down on to the table next to the one Sirius had abandoned.

"You're absolutely right, Padfoot! Come on, girls, it's the second night in a _row_ we've been studying for tests that won't come for another nine months! _Nine months_! Don't you think we have plenty of time to study?"

"No, James!" Lily almost yelled back, sounding exasperated. "These tests are going to affect the _rest of our lives_! We have to remember _seven years_ of study! Nine months is an incredibly short amount of time to review seven _years_ worth of material! Don't you even _care_, James Potter, about your fut-"

Whatever else Lily was going to tell James about his future was cut off when he effectively silenced her with a kiss, it was rather adorable to watch Lily blush lightly before pulling away.

"You're going to be the death of me James Potter."

"It's just one night, Lily flower, just one night for me and Siri to relax out on the Quidditch Pitch instead of in this stuffy library. Pretty please let me go, flower?"

Lily mocked a sigh. "Fine, fine, go on then - have fun."

James kissed her again before grinning and standing up. "Right-o then, to the Pitch my fellow Marauders!"

Expecting that all four of them would already be up and out the library doors Sirius startled me when he hugged me from behind.

"You sure you don't wanna come with, Mya?"

I rolled my eyes. Doesn't he know by now that each time he asks me to go somewhere over studying with Lily I always say no? Hasn't he noticed?

"Yes, Siri, I'm sure I don't want to go."

He hugged me tighter for a second.

"But you won't be mad if I go instead of stay and study like the good little boy that I'm not?"

I laughed at him - as if I really expected my restless best friend to be able to sit still studying for more than an hour or two. "No, Siri, I won't be mad - even though I still think you should pick school over playing Quidditch I wouldn't actually expect you to."

It was his turn to laugh before he kissed my cheek and practically skipped out of the library after James and Pettigrew - Remus had stayed behind with us to study a little more as always, though it was certain he'd go join them in an hour or so.

"_So_ - Miss Mya Taite - you and our dear Sirius Black, huh?"

"Remus! No!" Lily burst out laughing.

"Oh - shut up, Lils!" But despite my best efforts I highly doubt either of them failed to notice the slight blush I felt creeping over my face. It was true, after all, that the Sirius in this time often acted as if he has a crush on me. Shaking the thought and tuning out Lily and Remus' teasing I re-focused on minotaurs.

* * *

"Shh! You're going to get us all caught!" I hissed furiously back at Sirius. It wasn't the first time I'd given the Marauders a prank idea to use against the Slytherins - and every time we almost got caught because Sirius couldn't stop snickering. 

"I c-c-can't h-help it! Just ima-imagining their faces!"

"Then _don't_ imagine their faces, Padfoot! I think it's hilarious just thinking about it too but Mya's right: if you keep laughing like that you're going to get us all caught!"

"If we're caught out after curfew again McGonagall'll kill us!"

Despite all the whispering and Sirius' not-so-quiet laughter we had finally reached the portrait to the kitchens and I reached up impatiently to tickle the pear - the longer we stayed in the hall the more chance we had of getting discovered and being put in detention.

"It's not the pear Mya, it's the orange, remember?"

Wha? But I'm so sure it's the pear! I _know_ I've seen Fred and George tickle it tons of times and it opens! Oh. Right. Fred and George. 20 years in the future. I guess they've changed the fruit you have to tickle to get in by our normal time. Ah well, the orange it is then! And in we go.

"Welcome back Sirs and Miss!"

I looked down to see a squeaky-voiced house-elf looking at us with an expression of euphoric joy.

"Do Sirs and Miss wants more ice creams? Twilly will get thems more!"

"No, no Twilly, that's not what we're here for-"

"Speak for yourself, My! I'll take a double chocolate ice cream cone, Twilly."

"Yessir! Right aways Sir!"

"_Sirius_! We are _not _here for food! _Stay focused_!"

"Sorry, My, Twilly offered and I completely forgot!"

He kissed my cheek again - effectively sidetracking my mind. Why does he keep _doing_ that anyways? I can't figure out why and I'm sure it's just slowly driving me crazy!

"Here yous is Sir! Can Twilly get the Sirs and Miss anything else?"

"Butternup can help the Sirs and Miss toos!"

"And Slippery toos!"

"_Slippery_?" What kind of a name is that? Even for a house-elf!

"Yes Miss! I is Slippery! But most calls Slippery Slippy!"

"Ah...Slippy, then?"

"Yes Miss!"

"Slippy, we'd like you to do us a very big favor, if you could, it would make us _very_ happy."

Damn is Siri good at manipulating the elves, then again, I guess it doesn't take much. But Slippy looks almost disgustingly desparate to do the favor Sirius mentioned to make us happy. _Desparate_.

"Yes," Remus said earnestly, "you see, the Slytherins have been complaining lately about not feeling very well so Madam Pomfrey has asked us to deliver a..."

"Stomach-Soothing potion."

"Right, thanks Mya, a Stomach-Soothing potion so that you can put a little in each of their cups tomorrow morning at breakfast."

Slippy twisted his ears a bit.

"Sirs and Miss is sure it came from Madam Poppy? Just a Soothing-Stomachs potion?"

"We're positive, Slippy, the potion went straight from Madam Pomfrey's hands to ours, it's just a Stomach-Soothing potion."

Slippy seemed to hesitate for a moment. "If yous is sure..."

"We're positive, Slippy," Sirius added in after James, "we would be ever so grateful if you could do this to make us and all the Slytherins _so_...happy."

Slippy's head bobbed up and down quickly. "Okays Sirs and Miss, okays."

And even though I felt slightly guilty about tricking the little elf I watched carefully as Remus passed him what was actually a weak Connecting Concoction so that when one Slytherin was...er...charmed to look like they were wearing red and gold robes with either red or gold hair every other person who had taken some of the Connecting Concoction from the same batch would turn identical to that person once they touched them. At least, that's what would happen for 24 hours. It was weak because - while I was with them for getting the Slytherins back - it wouldn't do to have the Slytherins walking around for the normal two weeks the concoction lasted in Gryffindor colors, the longer they stayed under the potion's effects the longer the teachers had to trace it back to us - though it would be perfectily obvious that Gryffindors had done it.

"Thank you very much, Slippy."

"Oh! Miss is too kind! Slippy is only doing Slippy's job Miss!"

At that Pettigrew, our lookout - who I despised having at my back but how was I supposed to explain that without saying why? - climbed hurriedly into the kitchens.

"Grimmins just passed! We have a great shot at making it back if we head back now."

Grimmins? Oh yeah, the Filch of this time.

"Right then, let's go!"

Still holding his ice cream in one hand Sirius slung his other arm around my shoulders.

"C'mon My, don't feel guilty! The Slytherins deserve it! And that was a brilliant idea you had - the Slyths'll definitely be afraid of catching Gryffindor Fever again! They won't come near any of us!"

He laughed and kissed my cheek again. And my mind got sidetracked again. _Why_ does it keep doing that?

* * *

"Sirius?" 

I tried tiredly rubbing the sleep from my eyes. What I'd give to have been able to sleep just a few more hours before my nightmare woke me up.

"Hey, Mya, are you _always_ up this early?"

"I could ask you the same thing, y'know." The Sirius of my time might be my best friend but I'm not so sure I want to tell the Sirius of this time about my nightmare.

"Nope, I'm not, I just kept imagining the Slyths faces tomorrow at breakfast and I couldn't sleep." He grinned while I slumped down in the armchair next to him.

"I don't blame you - thinking of the Slytherins' faces would stop me from sleeping too."

He laughed. "Why're you up though, Mya?"

I took a deep breath and said in a would-be casual voice - "Oh, I just had a nightmare, that's all."

"Aw. C'mere." He patted the spot on the couch next to him. With a small sigh I moved to the couch and slumped back down. He hugged me. "What was it about?"

"I - I had a friend - a very good friend - who...died a while back...sometimes I still have nightmares about it, that's all." So I'd managed to tell the Sirius of this time after all. Even if it _was_ a very abbreviated version of the story I'd told the Siri of my time.

He kept hugging me. "I'm sorry, My, I know what it's like. Try getting some more sleep."

And despite the fact that I hadn't had any hot chocolate and hadn't re-lived my usual nightmare in excruciating detail, while Sirius held me I was almost able to doze back off.

* * *

"Smile everyone!" 

The sound of a camera taking a picture went off and I knew that Allie Figg had taken the photo of the Marauders, Lily and I that would end up in the front of the photo album I gifted Sirius with 20 years from now. Allie had recieved a new camera from her parents for her birthday and it had been a day of picture-taking for her. It seemed like she had taken pictures of just about everyone.

"Okay, thanks you guys."

"You're welcome, Allie."

"Yeah, no problem."

"Okay!" Sirius called out happily before - _ah_! Wasn't expecting that - before he picked me up and spun me around, "I'm starving! Who else is coming with to the Great Hall for lunch?"

Though Lily tried to make a break for it when James grinned at her she hadn't gotten far enough, fast enough and so James followed Sirius - who had actually slung me over his shoulder by now - with Lily slung over his own shoulder all the way from the lake to the Great Hall. Remus and Pettigrew were laughing the whole way.

"Put me _down_, Siri!"

"Nah, Mya, I think you're fine just where you are."

I groaned. When Sirius said something like that there was no way he was going to budge. Luckily for Lily and I, almost as soon as we entered the Hall Professor Samolson...er...well, I _suppose_ he came to our rescue in a way.

"Black! Potter! Put Evans and Taite down _now_! This is a _school_! Appropriate behavior is expected."

"Aw, c'mon, Prof -" Professor Samolson glared at Sirius for the shortened version of his title, "we were just having some fun!" He grinned but Professor Samolson glowered even more.

"I said _down_ BLACK! DOWN! Or it'll be detention!"

As usual, the threat of detention didn't sway Sirius or James much. But then Professor McGonagall came along.

"Black, Potter, put Miss Evans and Miss Taite down immediately. It may be the weekend but that in no way means all codes of conduct have flown out the window. Miss Taite, if you'll follow me, the headmaster would like to have a word with you."

"Geez, My, what'd you do without us knowing?"

By now Professor McGonagall was pretty much out of earshot.

"I dunno, Siri, I didn't think I'd done anything. Put me down, will you? I'll go find out."

He finally set me down and I almost ran to catch up with Professor McGonagall.

"Professor?"

"Yes, Miss Taite? What is it?"

" Do you know why the headmaster wants to see me?"

"I believe it has something to do with your return home."  
Home? I can't believe I forgot! I've gotten so used to getting up in the morning, jogging with Lily, eating breakfast with Sirius, Lily, James, Remus and Peter, studying with Lily and Remus, helping James, Remus, Sirius and Peter pull pranks...all the times we had so much fun - the six of us - no matter what we were doing...I'd forgotten I was only here for a month. Drake - I've even started to think of Malfoy as Drake! - and I have to be leaving within the next couple days, it's already almost October. I can't believe we're actually leaving so soon.  



	15. 14:The End Of An Era

Eulogizing Memoirs

Amelie Rae Lanhoss

**A/N-In ever-ever-ever loving memory for Kodey, because on days like today it's still so very very hard. Because death is too hard, too cold, too sad, too never-ending and three years is too little time to deal with it all. Because I barely slept last night and I won't sleep tonight it hurts so very much. Because it's not fair that it's a little kid, barely 11 years old, who dies of _heart failure _of all things and not some psycopathic murderer who's put in a grave. Because it's not fair we had sunshine stolen from us, Kodey, it's not fair. It's not fair that there's a private school and neighborhood and hockey team full of people falling apart today. Because I'm falling apart again and I don't know how many months of night terrors it'll take me to piece myself back together. Because we all miss our surrogate baby brother**

**-C.R.C.**

Chapter 14 - The End Of An Era

"Seems surreal almost, huh Mya?"

"Yeah..." I replied distractedly. I've barely even thought of Harry, Ginny, Ron, my parents...pretty much everyone from our normal time, as awful as that sounds. I can't believe we're leaving tomorrow morning. I have half a day left here. Just half a day.

"We only have half a day left," Drake - Malfoy - unknowingly echoed what I was thinking.

"Yeah..."

"Is that all you can say? I mean, I can't really believe it either but still," he sounds like he's getting slightly frustrated with me.

"Yeah...erm, no. I just - we only have half a day left, Drake, let's make it count." I looked up to see him shrug.

"Sure, how? Party?"

I almost laughed. "Sure, party."

We walked back into the Great Hall as most people were finishing their lunches. Pettigrew, Sirius and James were still eating while Lily and Remus just watched. Everyone was laughing and I smiled sadly. I can't believe I'm leaving all this tomorrow morning.

"Hey you two, what'd Dumbledore-"

"_Headmaster _Dumbledore, James, honestly."

"Right, what Lils said, what'd he want?"

"Oh, nothing much," I smiled - I'm determined to spend the rest of today happy, especially since it's my last day here - and slid into my now-normal spot next to Sirius. Drake gave me a strange look at my answer but I ignored him. "Hey guys, we should plan something tonight."

Lily groaned. "Honestly, Mya, I don't understand how you can _stand_ to take part in their stupid pranks!"

"Come on, Lily, they don't actually _hurt_ anyone."

She shook her head and James took it as a sign of reluctant agreement. With a grin he kissed her cheek and turned back to me. "Sure, Sirius had a great idea earlier."

"Really?" I turned to him, slighty surprised, I'll admit, "What is it?"

He shook a finger teasingly at me. "Not telling, it'll be a surprise!"

James laughed. "Yup, definitely a _huge_ surprise, Mya."

That's weird, why won't they tell me? I've been part in practically _all _their pranks in the past month and now, all of a sudden, they won't tell me what this one is? I looked at both of them strangely.

"What aren't you two telling me? It's not illegal, is it?" I can't help but still worry a bit about pranks I don't know the consequences to.

They both laughed. "Don't worry 'bout it, My, it's not illegal."

I frowned and was about to ask them another question but Sirius kissed my cheek before turning back to his food and my mind was effectively sidetracked again. _Why_ does he keep _doing _that?

* * *

"Pass the potatoes, please, Mya." 

I took another bite of my roast beef before passing the requested potatoes to Remus. My last afternoon in the past had gone by in a wonderfully normal manner. Sirius, Remy, James, Lily, Pettigrew and I had hung out around the edge of the lake again as soon as classes had let out for the day. Allie was still taking pictures of everyone again today. Drake, Benjy and Quiet-Tim came and sat down next to us at one point, as did Kat Calone, Aaron Andrews, Jim Rollins and a few other people. Frodo Benedict had come once when it was just the six of us and told Sirius he "had figured it out," though Sirius absolutely refused to tell me what "it" was. Meanwhile, both James and Remus pleaded ignorance though it was obvious they and Pettigrew knew what Siri was up to.

"Hey, My? Feel like dancing?"

I looked at Sirius strangely. What's he talking about? There's no dance going on - there's not even music! There's just supper. I went to stab at another piece of roast beef on my plate with my fork...but there was no roast beef _or _plate. Confused, I looked down to see my fork against the wood of the table. I wasn't the only one who was confused at where everything on the table had gone.

"What the?"

"My potatoes!"

"What happened?"

Sirius grinned and tugged on my hand so I'd stand up. Is this the "great idea" James said he had had earlier? To disappear everything on the tables in the Great Hall? That's a bit of a weird prank.

"Do it, Frodo."

It was Frodo Benedict's turn to grin. "Praevius Iacio Impiger."

"_Oh here we are and here we are and here we go. All aboard and we're hittin' the road. Here we go. Rockin' all over the world._"

Music blasted out of nowhere and everywhere at once. Ah. _This_ must've been the prank. Another tug on my hand and the next thing I knew Sirius had pulled me to standing on top of the Gryffindor table and was now dancing. I couldn't help but laugh, especially when James pulled Lily up on to the table too and started dancing just as wildly and exuberantly as Sirius. It wasn't long at all before a dozen or so other Gryffindors had abandoned complaining about their missing food to jump up on to the table and dance. Seconds later, despite the professors' best attempts to get everyone sitting down again and to turn the music off somehow, students in other houses started dancing on top of _their_ tables. I saw Lily bite her lip and glance at me, looking like she was unsure if she should help the professors or just go along with it. Giving her a what-the-hell?-shrug I turned back around and grinned at Sirius - I definitely hadn't thought of doing something like _this_ when I said we should plan something for tonight - who was now shouting along with the lyrics.

"_I'm gonna tell your mama what you're gonna do. So come on out with your dancing shoes. Here we go. Rockin' all over the world._"

Laughing at him I threw my arms in the air and danced along.

* * *

_Dear Sirius,_

_There are many things about me that you don't know, but there are also things about me only you know. By the time you read this I'll already be back where I belong, the Headmaster has given Drake and I half an hour before we leave - it seemed so much easier to write notes. I wish I could stay: it's been so much fun here and I don't want it to end, but like all good things..._

_I'll never forget the time we swam in the lake or the trip into Hogsmeade or the time we danced on the Gryffindor table. I'll miss awfully the day to day things. The pranks and laughter, the occasional talk by the fire, the few times Lily and I could actually convince you to study in the library, the visits to the kitchens, the pictures Allie took and the walks to just about anywhere. I think I might even miss your sporadic, spontaneous, completley unexpected kisses, Siri dear. Maybe._

_Thank you so much for giving me so many good memories here, I won't forget them any time soon. We aren't allowed to say anything about the future but remember: keep your friends close and your enemies closer...and sometimes when you have trouble telling which is which, stop for a moment, take a deep breath and look around you. Look for me in another 17 years, I won't look the same, you may not recognize me or my name at first - but it really will be me. I'm sorry to say I won't remember you for another few years after - so once you meet me again keep in touch, you'll figure it out eventually, I have faith in you. Take care of yourself and the others, hold on to your memories, and try not to forget me, it'd mean the world to me._

_Yours Always,_

_Mya Taite_

**P.S. Thanks for the laughs, mate, anyone who annoys Mya's good in my book, see you in another two decades -_D.T._**_  
_

_

* * *

_

_Dear Lily,_

_Of everyone I've known you were by far my best girlfriend. No one else has been able to stand staying in a library with me except you. I'm sorry to say I'm leaving, it's past time Drake and I went back to where we belong. Thank you so much for everything._

_I'm sure I'll constantly miss our morning jogs and evenings in the library but above all I'll miss having you around because you, Lils, are one-of-a-kind. Thanks for being part of so many of my memories._

_I'm so glad you've finally given James a shot, stick with him, Lily, and I promise as a Dream Weaver you won't regret it. I wish I could be with you two every step of the way but I can't. Take care Lils, remember the name Harry James and that you'll always have at least one friend who misses you immensely, even 20 years from now._

_Always,_

_Mya Taite_

**P.S. Mya doesn't know what she's talking about, Evans, I really don't think you should marry Potter and especially don't name your son Harry, Harry Potter? What kind of name is that? -_D.T._**

_P.P.S.- __Shove off Drake! You're just being jealous _**am not!**_ ignore him Lils, he's the one who has no idea what he's saying (rolls eyes) _**hey! I take offense to that! I **_don't _**thin k oi! let go!** _Sorry, Lils, had to get rid of my stupid cousin there. Trust me, give James a chance and you won't regret it -M.T. _**& _D.T._**

_

* * *

_

_Dear James,_

_You've kept me laughing the entire time I was here with your efforts to win Lily's heart. I'm glad to say you succeeded. I'm sorry to say I won't be able to be here when you two, undoubtedly, marry and have a son, I wish I could be._

_You were my unofficial big brother, James, and you always made me laugh - whether it was while you flirted with Lily or while you teased Sirius. I won't forget you in a hurry. Thanks for being a part of so many memories I created while I was at Hogwarts. They're all wonderful memories._

_Stick with Lily, James, and I know she'll make you the happiest you've ever been. Though I will warn you of something I'm not supposed to. "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." It may originally be a muggle saying but not just muggles use and execute it._

_Always,_

_Mya Taite_

**P.S. Thanks for the laughs, mate, and maybe...you should reconsider going out with Evans?**_ Stop it! IGNORE DRAKE, JAMES! IGNORE HIM! _**psh she doesn't know what she's talking about -_D.T. _**_& M.T._

_

* * *

_

_Peter,_

_As I'm leaving I wanted to leave you with a parting bit of advice. Your friends are the best thing that has ever happened to you and they wouldn't hurt you for the world. Don't let anything or anyone change that, no matter the cost._

_Yours Truly,_

_Mya Taite_

**P.S. Good luck with everything, I suppose -_D.T._**_  
_

_

* * *

_

_Dear Remus,_

_I'm leaving, sadly, in just a little bit but I wanted to tell you thank you for everything you've done for me here. It's time for Drake and I to return where we belong but I had so much fun here I'm sad to go._

_You were with me during so many fun times and you managed to make them even funner, thanks so much for that. I'll miss the quiet study sessions you, Lily and I would have terribly. I'll miss you terribly, Remy, because you were a great friend and you'll always be a great person, no matter what others think._

_Though you'll see me in another 16-17 years I highly doubt you'll recognize me or my name, but that's okay because I'm afraid I won't remember you for another 20 years...Wait for me, Rem? I'll remember you I promise. And a warning for in the near future: the person you least expect is the one you're underestimating, don't do that._

_Always,_

_Mya Taite_

**P.S. I'll be with Mya in 20 years but we won't get along for a while, so don't be surprised. Take care -_D.T.

* * *

_**

An old, kind, soft voice was speaking.

"Ah, Miss Granger, right on time as always. Welcome back Miss Granger, Mister Malfoy."

I opened my eyes groggily to see Professor Dumbledore peering down at me. Slowly sitting up I realized I still held the now-empty potions vial that had - with a combination of spells - brought me back to my own time. I was actually a little sad about it. I heard a groan and turned to my left to see Drake - I guess the Glamours haven't been taken off yet - start to wake. He sat up slowly holding his head.

"Am I the only one who feels like he got clobbered by an Abraxan and then lost a fight to a mountain troll?"

The Headmaster chuckled quietly before answering him.

"I had no idea the feelings would be so...graphic, Mister Malfoy."

"I think you'd be dead if you lost a fight with a mountain troll."

Drake barely rolled his head in my direction but that didn't change the ferocity of his glare.

"You wanna just shut up before I make you, Mya?"

I stifled a snort and didn't bother to point out to him that, when he looked like he'd rather die than move, he couldn't come off all that threatening. Instead I merely looked innocently in the other direction, which seems to amuse Professor Dumbledore. He cleared his throat softly and turned to me.

"While Mister Malfoy, who for some reason seems to have had a much worse time than you to come back to the present, recuperates I believe there are two gentlemen who are quite eager to see if you've returned yet."

Siri and Remy! I couldn't help but grin widely before immediately dashing to the door that led to the stairs, barely managing to remember to thank the Headmaster before bounding out. When I flew out the bottom door, however, Harry and Ron were the ones waiting for me which, really, _shouldn't_ make me any kind of disappointed as I _have_ seen Sirius and Remus every day. I'm an awful friend for even _considering_ being slightly disappointed that it's Harry and Ron waiting for me. So I throw one arm around each of them in the form of a hug.

"Ron! Harry! Argh! I've missed you guys so much."

"Ah..."

Ron just uncertainly patted my back while Harry completely froze before speaking.

"I'm sorry? Do we know you? We're waiting for our friend Hermione Granger, she's supposed to be coming back to school today. Are you sure you have the right people?"

Ah, right, the Glamour's still on. I pulled back.

"Do you guys honestly not recognize me? I'm hurt, truly."

They exchanged uneasy glances but I didn't see any spark of recognition from either of them.

"Mya!"

"Ah!"

I let out a scream when two arms picked me up from behind and spun me around in the air. I hadn't even realized anyone else was here. It wasn't until he finally set me down that I was able to turn and sling my arms first around Sirius' shoulders and then Remus' in turn. As Harry and Ron watched on the three of us all started talking at once. Though I'd seen them barely an hour ago it was still a reunion of sorts, between their past, their present and mine.

"We missed you so muchwhen you left, Mya."

"_You_!

"You remember everything now, huh?"

"I can't believe half the things you did!"

"It really is always the quiet ones, right My? Or the not so quiet ones as the case may be."

"There was no way to control him when you were gone!"

"And she didn't need to know that Moony!"

We were all laughing and practically collapsed into another hug. Harry and Ron still looked confused and startled if not shocked.

"Uh, Sirius? I didn't know you knew someone else my age that didn't go to Hogwarts."

"Oh come on, Harry, it's Hermione! Don't you even recognize a friend you've had for practically seven years anymore? I tell you, My, you're much better hanging out with us, we'll even get you in less trouble."

"I think that's highly debatable, Padfoot."

Sirius waved Remus' comment off before Harry had a chance to speak again.

"That-That's not Hermione, Sirius. And of _course_ I'd recognize my best friend but that's not her, really."

Sirius sighed dramatically and slung an arm around my shoulder, leading me off down the hall with Remus. Looking at Harry he called back to him.

"Go see Dumbledore-"

"_Professor_ Dumbledore."

"-you desperately need to lighten up, Mya - if you don't believe me and he'll tell you the same thing. Oh! And tell Drake to come on down to the lake why don't you?"

"I'm perfectly '_lightened up_,' thanks very much."

He snorted. "Moony, tell My she needs to lighten up."

"My..."

"Please, like _you're_ one to talk."

I poked him in the side and the three of us, laughing,made our way outside.

* * *

Loud music could be heard even before we could see the Three Broomsticks. We were still laughing and reminiscing, but Harry, Ron and Ginny had joined Sirius, Remus, Drak - Malfoy - and I. Remus pushed the door to the well-known pub open for all of us and the music seemed to get, if possible, even louder. The Headmaster had yet to remove the Glamours from Drake and I as, he told us with an annoyingtwinkle in his eye, he was sure we'd want to look the way we did for one more night. Drake and I had exchanged incredulous glances but went along with it as Sirius and Remus had soon pulled us out of Professor Dumbledore's office, made us put our cloaks on, and led us down to Hogsmeade. I hadn't the slightest idea why there was loud _muggle_ music pumping out of seemingly every corner of a wizarding pub until we stepped inside and I started laughing. Decorations and banners saying 'Welcome Home Drake & Mya!' along with pictures taken during our trip back in time were hung all over the place and the song coming from the walls was actually the first one I'd scared the Slytherins off with.

"_Are they gonna find us lying face down in the sand? So what the hell now, we've already been forever damned._"

These song lyrics I had no problem following and screaming out with everyone else. For the second night in a row I followed Sirius' example by just throwing my arms in the air and dancing. It seemed everywhere I turned there were more and more people welcoming me 'back' and grabbing me for pictures. While many of their faces still looked familiar there were almost just as many that didn't and the night soon begana joke of mistaken identities.

"Mya!"

I was spun around to face what was so obviously an older Frodo Benedict.

"Frodo!"

I hugged him tightly before stepping back and grinning.

"How've you been?"

"Good, good. Pretty much all of us have been as good as can be expected. Come on over here, there're a ton of people who want new pictures of you. Though I can't say you've changed much if at all."

He grinned and led me in a weaving pattern through the crowd that were still calling out hellos until we reached a group of tables set up near the back.

"Over here, most of our old year's here-"

"Mya!"

"Oh my god you haven't changed_ at all_!"

"I'm _so_ jealous!"

"Allie! Kat!"

I couldn't for the life of me come up with the third woman's name and I felt so guilty about it though she just smiled, amused.

"Helen, we were in Potions together, remember?"

"Oh! Yes, of course!"

We all laughed.

"Well, I ended up marrying Tim."

"Congratulations!"

I couldn't help but inwardly marvel that Quiet-Tim had actually managed to talk long enough to propose to _anyone_ much less the bubbly, kind Hufflepuff I remembered from Potions.

"Why thank you very much, Mya, it's almost been 14 years now that we've been married. I wish you and Drake could've been at the wedding."

I turned to see a smiling wizard who stood about a head and a half taller than me. _This_ is Quiet-Tim!

"Me too, I'm so sorry we missed it. I'd love to see the photographs sometime though."

"Definitely, although, if you lovely ladies will excuse me, I'd like to kidnap my wife for a dance please."

Smiling widely Helen followed him off to where the rest of the dancers were.

"_That's_ Tim?"

I couldn't help the quiet exclamation even though Allie and Kat laughed at me for it.

"Yup, he really _has_ changed since school, hasn't he? I'm so happy for both of them."

"Me too."

"Hey, Mya-darling, I'm whisking you away for a dance or three!"

I laughed and let myself be spun around a few times by the still-clumsy Davy Gudgeon. Though his twin Diana, a Ravenclaw, soon grabbed me as I was spinning by and led me nearby to where Frodo was waiting with a camera and a group of recognizable faces. We laughed all through the picture-taking and soon spread out again. The remainder of the night passed in a blur of fun, lights and familiar faces.

**_

* * *

_**

We were sitting down on one of the Gryffindor-red couches in the common room. I don't know what it was about being around Sirius but there were some days where I wouldn't talk to him at all, there were so many times when we would just sit together and that'd be more than enough. Then there were the days where I couldn't seem to get all out, the times when neither of us could stand to be quiet, we'd seem like we had too much to say. Earlier, I was sure it'd be the latter kind of day. All along the edge of the lake and the walk into Hogsmeade we kept talking and talking but now, away from practically all the things that reminded me of 1976, all the things I'd worry about in my normal time seemed to start pressing in on me again. I couldn't stop thinking about Missy. I'd missed...two?...or three? I think three of her doctor's appointments and had no idea how they went. I had no idea how she was. Was she even still alive? Though I didn't manage tocompletely supress a shudder at the thought I _did _immediately scold myself for thinking so dramatically. I mean, really, her death was a possibility but last I heard it was only a _slight_ possibility...wasn't it? There was no supressing the second shudder, and Sirius noticed. He seemed to always notice. I pretended not to see him looking at me and continued looking in the fire. Today had been such a nice, fun, _light_ day, in a way, and there was no reason to end it any differently.

"Hermione..."

"I'm fine."

It was such an automatic response but, of course, also a tell-tale sign that I was _not _fine. Sirius knew it.

"You're not fine, 'Mione, you're worrying about something. What's up?"

"It's nothing."

He grinned crookedly at me from the opposite side of the sofa.

"If it were nothing then you wouldn't be worried about it."

I sighed with a small smile. You just had to hate Siri's logic.

"Really, Sirius, I'd rather end the day with it as nice and fun as it's been all day. Can we please drop it for tonight?"

He seemed to mull it over.

"If I drop it you have to promise to tell me tomorrow."

I didn't particularly want to but I knew otherwise there'd be no way Sirius would leave it at that for tonight.

"Promise."

He smiled back at me as I leaned my head against the couch's armrest on my side. Although, sometime during the night, I managed to start leaning the other way into Sirius as I slept. At least, that was how I woke up the next morning.


	16. 15:A Party, A Kiss, And A Graduation

Eulogizing Memoirs

Amelie Rae Lanhoss

**A/N-I love, love, _love_ this chapter! I wrote it all at once, skipping two meals, a very important 5 page paper on economic perspectives, part of my brother's birthday party and a good part of _Without A Paddle_ (which, to those who know me, is highly unheard of as it's my favorite movie and I laugh through all of it no matter how many times I watch it; speaking of good movies, I finally saw _Serenity_ with my three best friends last Friday and highly, highly recommend it, even if you've never seen Firefly, only one of us had and we all loved it, also very, very recommended is Final Fantasy 7-Advent Children, which has _the_ most mind-blowing cg I've ever seen). -laughs- It started with the New Year's Eve kiss and just tumbled out from there. And then I went back and picked at it over and over. Thanks to all the people who reviewed last chapter, I'll (hopefully) have review responses up by the end of the night. Birthday wishes all around! Happy belated birthday to Sangdi, who's birthday was on the 28th, to my little brother who's birthday was on the 19th, to _me_ -laughs- because _my_ birthday was on the 18th and a _very _belated happy birthday to Caitlin (one of my three best friends since forever)who's birthday was on the 4th. For everyone's birthdays and, as always, in loving memory for K.M.L., who's birthday is September 21st**

**-C.R.C.**

Chapter 15 - A Party, A Kiss, And A Graduation

Music was pounding out of everywhere at 12 Grimmauld Place as I wove my way through the crowd of people – Order members, school friends, family – all dancing until I reached the busy kitchen. Molly Weasley had taken it upon herself to constantly have holiday snacks out and available for the masses. While there were few _people _actually in the kitchen enchanted appliances and bowls holding assorted mixtures in various states of readiness were flying across the room. Ducking a bowl of brownies heading for the main room I managed to reach Mrs. Weasley in the center of it all.

"Excuse me? Mrs. Weasley?"

She spun around to face me, appearing distracted by a pot that had begun dancing on the stove.

"Oh, yes, happy New Year, dear."

She didn't even hug me but only gave me a half-hearted kiss on the cheek before casting a spell on the dancing pot and pressing it into my hands.

"Here Hermione. Chocolate fondue. Would you bring it out to the living room, set it down and have Ginny bring in the empty pot? Thanks dear."

"Oh, uh, sure, of course Mrs. Weasley. But, um, do you know where Sirius is?"

"Sirius? No, I'm sorry dear, I've no idea. Tell Ginny I need her in the kitchen if you see her please."

"Sure Mrs. Weasley."

I left the kitchen and started weaving back through the huge mob of people dancing. Holding the pot above my head so I could slip through the couplesI eventually found myself in the living room next to a mostly empty pot of chocolate fondue. Replacing it with the pot Mrs. Weasley had given me I turned and scanned the room for Ginny. I found her in a corner talking to Harry who was looking increasingly uncomfortable. I dove back into the crowd and slowly made my way to their corner.

"Hey, Gin, your mum said she needed to see you in the kitchen with the empty fondue pot."

"Oh."

She looked slightly disappointed while Harry, behind her back, was smiling gratefully at me.

"Alright then, thanks 'Mione."

Ginny took the pot from me and was about to leave before she turned and smiled at Harry.

"I'll be right back, don't move, kay?"

Harry looked slightly queasy at the idea as she bounded off through the crowd towards the kitchen.

"Thanks, Hermione. Erm...do you have any idea where I could...uh...not _hide_ really, but, um-"

Knowing Ginny could be pretty forceful when it came to getting what she wanted I took pity on him.

"Maybe you could go up to your room for a bit if you, er, have a headache or something."

His eyes lit up.

"That's a great idea 'Mione! I mean-"

He put a pained expression on his face that would've looked normal on a dying person.

"Ohh...it hurts...I think my scar is acting up again. If anyone asks would you tell them I had to lie down please?"

He broke the illusion by winking at me and I let out a slight laugh.

"Sure, Harry."

I watched him go up the stairs for a few seconds before turning around and immediately bumping into Bill Weasley who had started working in London again a few months earlier. He grabbed my arms to steady me and grinned.

"Woah there, Hermione, you alright?"

"Yeah, Bill, thanks."

I broke off when I realized he seemed to be more just looking at me with a grin than actually listening to me.

"Uh...Bill?"

I waved my hand in front of his eyes as much as I could and startled him.

"You don't happen to know where Sirius is, do you?"

"Oh, uh, yeah. He went up to the drawing room with Remus a few minutes ago, said something 'bout reminiscing."

"Great. Thanks."

I paused, trying to pull back a little to head upstairs.

"Uh, Bill? You can let go of me now, I'm fine."

"Oh! Right!"

He let go of my arms and grinned widely at me again.

"So, I'll see you around then, right?"

"Um, sure, right."

_That was more than a bit strange. _

Five minutes before midnight I was making my way to the drawing room on the first floor next to the room Ginny and I shared when we were there. Through the front hall, where a good two years of Mrs. Weasley had finally caused the wallpaper to stay on the walls and stop peeling off, and up the stairs, first room on the left. It seemed very strange to me Sirius had chosen to stay in a room during his own huge New Year's Eve party instead of downstairs where everyone else was. If I hadn't been as focused on what I needed to tell him I probably would've thought about how strange that was a little longer. As it was I barely registered Remus' voice before I burst into the room.

"Sirius, it's -" I faltered, "you're drunk."

"'s t'prop-ly cel-brate!"

"What's wrong, Hermione?"

Surprise at Sirius' state, which really, I shouldn't have been surprised at in the first place, promptly disapppeared and all my worries came back to me.

"It's Missy. At-at Christmas I found out what the doctors said...she's really sick."

Remus looked genuinely worried while Sirius leaned back in the large armchair and hummed.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. Is there anything we can do to help? Do you think taking her to St. Mungo's would be worth a shot?"

"I don't know!"

I exhaled loudly, aggravated all of a sudden.

"I don't know, I don't know, I don't know!" _I hate not knowing_, was said silently.

"One minute!" was yelled from the filled rooms downstairs and Sirius immediately reacted with cheers.

"Woo! One minute! F'one mo' firewhiskey!"

"Sirius! Get over it!"

I was so mad at him then, mad at him for drinking way too much on the night I needed him the most. I made a mental note to research sobering spells when I got back to Hogwarts before doing something I'd only done once before, to Draco Malfoy. I threw all my strength into one hand and slapped him. I glared furiously at him as he sat there blinking and looking stunned.

"Thirty seconds!"

"Rem!"

Tonks crashed into and pushed open the door.

"Come back downstairs!"

She grabbed his hand and started dragging him down the hall towards the stairs.

"Didn' 'spect that..."

"Twenty!"

"Well in _case_ you haven't noticed Mister-I-Just-_Have_-To-Drink-Way-Too-Much-To-Understand-A-Conversation, I'm having a bit of a family crisis over here! My baby sister is sick! _Sick_! Like Kevin! Is _any_ of this getting through your thick skull? _She's sick like Kevin_!"

"Ten!"

Sirius grinned wickedly, a grin I was fairly familiar with after spending a month with the Marauders.

"Nine! Eight!"

With reflexes that clearly hadn't detoriated with age his arms shot up and snapped back, bringing me on to his lap.

"Seven!"

"Sirius!" I squirmed as much as I could.

"Six! Five!"

"I never said I wasn't able to follow a conversation, Mione darling, you came up with that one all on your own."

"Four! Three!"

"Siris!" I squirmed even more but his arms, if anything, actually tightened around me. "What are you doing? Let go of me!"

"Two!"

"Nothing, love."

With that smile? Yeah, right. And 'nothing' doesn't make me get a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach.

"One!"

"Happy New Year, Hermione."

"Wooo!"

And then...he kissed me...

* * *

I was sitting next to Drake - or rather, Malfoy though even months later I can't stop thinking about him as Drake - in the front row, the rest of our graduating class was sitting in alphabetical order behind us. Each year so far Voldemort had made some attempt at killing Harry at the end of the school year and now, on the last day he'd be in school, everyone was on edge. A lot of us think he'll try to kill Harry again today and the whole war will end now, one way or the other. 

"During these hard times any small amount of happiness and joy seems amplified and should be treasured. Therefore, it is with great pleasure that I congratulate the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Graduating Class of 1998. With that, please let me introduce the top student and Head Girl, Hermione Jane Granger."

I took a deep breath and walked up to the podium to polite applause and joking catcalls from most of the guys in Gryffindor, prefects, the Weasley twins and Sirius. My hands are shaking like crazy. I smiled and looked out at all the family and friends who had come to see us graduate.

"Thank you, Headmaster."

I paused to take another deep breath before launching into the short speech I had spent so many hours going over in the Heads common room with Drake, as an at least grudging respect had developed between us through the whole time-traveling experience.

"Seven years ago we came here on boats in groups of four. A little scared, a little nervous, a little unsure and with a lot of hope that we would be able to make friends and excel. When we reached this huge, impressive..._magical_, for lack of a better word..."

I paused for a second again and received polite laughter.

"We reached this amazing place and were split into four groups that, for a little while, defined our friendships. In my first year at Hogwarts I made two best friends I wouldn't give up for the world."

I grinned sideways at Harry, standing at the end of a row next to Parvati Patil, and Ron, who was preoccupied with glaring at Blaise Zabini, completely insulted that he had to stand next to a Slytherin. With a slight laugh I continued.

"Years later there are very few people here who I wouldn't go to for help. For seven years we've done exactly what we hoped we'd be able to do when we were scared 11 year olds walking into the Great Hall for the first time. We've worked hard and excelled. But, most importantly, we've worked and relaxed, laughed and cried, loved and lost together and built friendships that won't be torn down at the first sign of adversity. We actually made it! Am I the only one surprised at that?"

I grinned again and got laughs from a lot of my now-former classmates.

"Now, we're back at about the same place. A little scared, a little nervous, a little unsure and with a lot of hope that we'll be able to make friends and excel all over again. Because the world is such a scary place sometimes. But we've done it once and I know we can do it again you guys. Congratulations to the Class of 1998, if we've made it through all of Professor Binns' classes and learned just a little, all of Professor Snape's classes without being blown up...Neville."

He blushed as everyone laughed again at his expense and I gave him a gentle smile.

"If we've made it through all of Professor McGonagoll and Professor Flitwick's classes without turning ourselves into mice or ice...well, we can make it through anything then."

I grinned widely and broke out of character by adding on a last sentence for Sirius' amusement.

"If I've learned one thing here it's that success is _ours_ for the taking. So let's kick ass in the real world!"

I finished to laughter and applause from the audience and cheering from my friends.

"Thank you. And now, please allow me to introduce our Head Boy Draco Lucius Malfoy."

I walked back to my place amidst polite applause for Drake. We crossed in the middle and he muttered lowly so only I could hear, "nice touch, Granger."

"Thanks," I whispered over my shoulder with a smile before going to my spot in the third row between Goyle and Daphne Greengrass, a surprisingly nice Slytherin.

"I'm not sure there's anything I can add to the Head Girl's speech but I'll try anyways."

With a winning smile he pulled out a small square of parchment from his pocket.

"All of us have worked hard to get from where we were seven years ago, a bunch of varied 11 year olds with no particular friendships or ties to eachother, to where we are now, graduating 17 year olds ready to take on the world. Like M-_Hermione_, said, we've come together in our seven years here and now we can make it through anything. It's my hope that, when we leave this place that's sheltered us for so long, and become, undoubtedly, more successful and good-looking-"

He mocked a model posing and everyone laughed slightly. With a grin that will clearly go on to break more than a few hearts he continued.

"That we still remember to help eachother out. With that, let me finish by re-using the Head Girl's memorable closing."

He smiled in my direction.

"Let's go out there and kick ass Class of 1998. Thank you."

Drake finished to loud cheers and applause too and Professor Dumbledore stepped back up to the podium as he made his way back to his spot in the fourth row next to Ernie Macmilllan.

"Good job." I whispered over my shoulder to him again.

"Thanks."

Ernie and Daphne looked at us, both of them surprised.

"Witches and wizards," Professor Dumbledore started with twinkling eyes and a smile, "the Head Boy and Girl for Hogwarts' Graduating Class of 1998."

He paused for a last round of applause before starting the actual graduation process.

"And now, if I could have the Heads of Houses here to help me hand out diplomas so our former students can go and...kick ass, was it?"

The audience laughed again as Professors McGonagoll, Snape, Flitwick and Sprout stood up and formed a line next to the Headmaster. Professor Sprout called out the first name proudly.

"Hufflepuff Prefect Hannah Abbot."

I clapped along with everyone else as Hannah stood up and went to receive her diploma from Professor Sprout before she shook the Headmaster and other Heads of Houses' hands too.

"Hufflepuff Susan Bones."

As we all clapped Professor Flitwick picked up the next two scrolls.

"Ravenclaw Terry Boot. Ravenclaw Mandy Brocklehurst."

When Professor McGonagoll picked up the first scroll for Gryffindor I clapped wildly along with everyone else in my House causing Lav to blush deeply.

"Gryffindor Lavender Brown."

Then Professor Snape picked up the first Slytherin scroll and the applause went back to being polite.

"Slytherin Millicent Bulstrode."

I spent most of the time while the second row was being called looking out at the audience and trying to see how many people I recognized. I did, however, clap politely through "Ravenclaw Michael Corner. Ravenclaw Stephen Cornfoot. Slytherin Vincent Crabbe. Slytherin Tracey Davis. Ravenclaw Kevin Entwhistle. Ravenclaw Samantha Fawcett." When Professor Sprout called out "Hufflepuff Justin Finch-Fletchley," who was the first person in _my_ row, I started paying careful attention again.

"Gryffindor Seamus Finnigan."

I cheered for the second Gryffindor called and then again for "Ravenclaw Prefect Anthony Goldstein," who was the second prefect to 'officially' graduate. By the time Professor Snape called out "Slytherin Gregory Goyle," my hands were shaking again. I _thought_ Professor McGonagoll sounded proud when she said my name.

"Head Girl of Gryffindor, Hermione Granger."

I couldn't help but blush at the cheers and catcalling coming from the audience, though I laughed when I heard Remus yelling "a chair is for _sitting on_ Padfoot, not _standing_!" I shook Professor McGonagoll's hand and recieved my diploma and a rare smile from the older woman before shaking Professor Dumbledore's hand. He smiled at me too and said quietly, "you've made us all very proud Miss Granger." I shook Professor Snape's hand and he gave me a slightly-kinder-than-usual sneer before I received a hug from the kindly Professor Sprout and a last, enthusiastic, handshake from Professor Flitwick.

I returned to my spot and clapped politely for "Slytherin Daphne Greengrass. Hufflepuff Wayne Hopkins. Hufflepuff Megan Jones. Ravenclaw Su Li," before I followed suit with the rest of my House and applauded wildly for "Gryffindor Neville Longbottom." Then I had to clap hard for the third prefect, "Hufflepuff Prefect Ernie Macmillan," and, because I was Head Girl, for, "Head Boy of Slytherin, Draco Malfoy."

"Ravenclaw Morag McDougal. Slytherin Theodore Nott," passed with polite applause until, to my eternal disgust, I had to clap 'congratulatory-like' for "Slytherin Prefect Pansy Parkinson," of all people, since she was a prefect. I had no problem clapping hard for "Ravenclaw Prefect Padma Patil," though, or my roomie "Gryffindor Parvati Patil." Then I was cheering like crazy for one of my best friends, "Gryffindor Harry Potter," and my other Housemate "Gryffindor Dean Thomas." Then there was "Ravenclaw Lisa Turpin" before my second best friend, "Gryffindor Prefect Ronald Weasley." "Slytherin Blaise Zabini. Gryffindor Sara Zafara. Gryffindor Prefect Rebecca Zeller," finished our graduating class to the loudest cheers.

"Congratulations, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Graduating Class of 1998!"

We all screamed wildly to final applause from all the family and friends who had come to watch us graduate. With a wave of his hand and a smile the Headmaster figuratively cut us loose of the school and all of us ran out into the audience to find those who had come to see us.

* * *

About three and a half hours after the end of the ceremony all of us - graduates, families, friends - were milling around on Hogwarts' huge sloping front lawn in wonderful weather with glasses of punch and pieces of cakes. All around people were saying tearful goodbyes and making promises to owl constantly as they left our beloved school for the last time. 

"Hermione!"

Hannah Abbot launched herself at me and started crying into my shoulder.

"Hannah? What's wrong?"

"Oh Hermione! I'll miss you so much!"

I was surprised, Hannah and I hadn't been the closest of friends or anything. I patted her back uncertainly.

"There, there, Hannah. We can, er, owl eachother a lot. You won't even notice that you don't see me every Sunday evening when we had our prefect meetings."

She sniffled a bit before lifting her head.

"Really? Oh that's wonderful Hermione!"

She spotted her next victim, Su Li, and dashed off.

"Don't forget to owl Hermione! Oh Su! I'll miss you so much, Su!"

Su looked as surprised as I had felt. With a smile and a sip of punch I wandered off among all the other milling people.

"Hey."

"Hey."

We just looked at eachother for a moment before Drake abruptly stuck his hand out. I shook it.

"I - I just wanted to say, after everything..."

He looked as if the words were actually hurting him.

"You're not so bad...Mya."

I fought a small laugh and smiled.

"Thanks. You aren't so bad yourself, Drake."

He gave me a small but genuine smile and walked off leaving me with the strangest feeling that something big had just occurred. I didn't walk much further before I was stopped again.

"Hey, Hermione."

"Hey, Anthony, congratulations."

"Thanks, Hermione, congratulations to you too."

He grinned nervously.

"Well, I'm off to, uh, kick ass."

Both of us laughed and he continued, looking a little less nervous than before.

"So, uh, maybe I'll see you around sometime, huh? Maybe owl and meet up for lunch or something in a little while?"

"Sure, Anthony, good luck with everything."

He stood uncertainly before hugging me quickly and then almost running away, calling back over his shoulder, "thanks, Hermione, good luck to you too!"

I took another sip of my punch. And then spitting it right back out.

"_Ah_!"

Strong arms spun me around once from behind before setting me down again. I turned quickly to see-

"Sirius!"

I smiled nervously, I haven't actually seen him since New Year's Eve though I get the idea from his letters that he doesn't remember kissing me at all. He was, after all, drunk at the time and it wouldn't be surprising. It'd even be preferable! ...Wouldn't it? He grinned widely at me.

"Hey, Mya, congrats!"

"Thanks."

We stood a little ways apart smiling at eachother until Remus came up with a smile and a hug.

"Hey, Hermione, congratulations."

"Thanks, Remy."

"Your parents aren't here, are they?"

"No, muggles can't come even on graduation days. I did get the equivalent of a muggle video tape of the ceremony from Professor Dumbledore though, so I can play it for my whole family when I go back."

"And Artemis isn't here either?"

I smiled sadly.

"No. I didn't even try to bring her though."

"Ah, Miss Granger."

I forced a polite smile for my former Head of House.

"Hello, Professor."

"Hello, my dear, tell me, do you have any concrete plans for what you would like to do next?"

"I'll do something useful, I hope. I was actually considering applying for the medi-witch training program at St. Mungo's."

"Wonderful plan, Miss Granger, feel free to owl me with a request for a recommendation letter whenever you're ready."

"Thank you, Professor."

She gave me a slight smile.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I must ask the same of the Head Boy."

"Of course, Professor."

"Are you still going to live with your parents?"

I turned back to Remus with a shrug.

"I don't know. It's pretty far from St. Mungo's but if I had to I could Apparate in each day. I _would_ like to find my own little flat somewhere in London though, so that I'll at least be a lot closer."

"You could move in with me at Grimmauld."

Move in with Sirius?

"At least, until you find your own flat."

"I highly advise against that Miss Granger."

I plastered a polite smile over my undoubtedly shocked expression.

"Hello, Professor Snape."

"Snivellus," Sirius glared.

"Severus," Remus at least managed civilly.

I continued smiling as I elbowed Sirius hard.

"_Oof_!"

Professor Snape looked slightly amused. Or, as amused as he ever looks. He ignored Siri and Remy's greetings and continued talking.

"Do you have a plan on what you will be doing now, Miss Granger? Other than stupidly accepting Black's offer."

"Ah, yes. Sort of. I'm thinking of applying for the medi-witch training program at St. Mungo's."

"If you do apply your grades alone will secure you a spot. However, if you wish, I...may...also write you a letter of recommendation."

Oh. My. God.

"Th-thank you, Professor."

He nodded shortly before abruptly leaving.

"So, Mya, how 'bout it? You'd still have to Apparate or take the Underground in but Grimmauld's still a lot closer than your parents' house."

"Um."

I turned back to Sirius and bit my lip before glancing around a little at the beautifully sunny day. Then, I uncharacteristically made a split-second decision.

"Sure, Sirius, thanks."


	17. 16:Domestic Bliss?

Eulogizing Memoirs

Amelie Rae Lanhoss

**A/N- A kajillion and one years later: a new chapter! Yay! (laughs) I hope everyone had safe and happy holidays and thanks _so_ much for being incredibly patient with me. I'm currently cramming for mid-terms and it's absolutely horrible. Much thanks go to Brandy Lebeau; although this chapter is dedicated to Acila (hides from reviewers) and, as always, in ever-loving memory to K.M.L.**

**-C.R.C.**

**Edit (21.01.06):I've added an end note on Hermione & Draco's current relationship -_C.R.C._****  
**

Chapter 16 - Domestic Bliss?

"Hermione!"

"Up in the library, Sirius."

I heard footsteps climbing the stairs before I heard his voice again.

"Someone named Anthony Goldstein wants to know if you'll have lunch with him on Wednesday."

I looked at a newly appeared Sirius in the doorway of the library and blinked for a few seconds before replying.

"Is he on the floo right now?"

"Nope."

Then, how in either worlds would Sirius know that? Another few seconds later he answered my unspoken question.

"He owled you."

He held out an opened letter to me. I shrieked and jumped from my chair - why the hell would he open _my_ owls?

"And you somehow found it alright to open _my_ mail?" I asked him rhetorically. I then snatched the letter from him and glared at him before returning to my place at the dusty table I was using to study for the entrance exams to the medi-witch training program. _Honestly_!

"Really, Sirius!"

"Aw, c'mon, My," he grinned goofily at me, "there was a letter addressed to you in handwriting I didn't recognize! Can you really blame a bloke just for being curious?" He was joking but it didn't stop me from being annoyed at him. It was _my_ mail, after all, and he'd opened it first.

"Actually, Sirius, I _can_ and most certainly _do_." I huffed and purposely turned my chair's back to him, facing out the window though there wasn't much to see. Not that it mattered, I had a seemingly million and one parchments of notes to review for the entrance exams to the St. Mungo's medi-witch training program that were to be held in mid-August.

_Dear Hermione,_

_Hello again! How are you? Probably studying non-stop for a training program, right? I always did think you belonged more in Ravenclaw than Gryffindor; but I digress. Currently, I'm also studying for an entrance exam – I'm hoping to become a medi-wizard. However, I've lately felt like I have counter-curses and remedy formulas spilling out of my ears! _

I felt two hands on my shoulders and sighed in frustration but ignored Sirius all the same.

_I thought I'd write you about that lunch we were considering meeting up for at graduation. I've moved out of my parents' house and into a flat of my own near the St. Mungo's formal training building._

"Mya…" he said my name in a tone that was part pleading and part apology. I sighed again but didn't respond – determined to ignore him at least a little bit longer.

_I'm not sure what you like to eat but there's a little muggle Italian bistro with tables outside nearby. _

"C'mon, Mione," it was his turn to sigh before continuing, "I'm sorry."

_A muggle childhood friend of mine works there during the Wednesday lunch hour and has already assured me he could easily secure one of the small outdoor tables then. Perhaps you'd like to have lunch with me there and talk? I never did get the chance to ask you about your plans after Hogwarts at graduation. Please let me know._

_Yours Truly,_

_Anthony Goldstein_

I made the mistake of glancing up at Sirius' face and immediately winced in defeat. I never could stay mad at him when he gave me that expression.

"Damnit, Sirius, it's _my_ mail."

The hands on my shoulders ended up wrapped around me as he rested his chin on the top of my head.

"I know. I'm sorry, Mya."

I sighed again, feeling we'd somehow become much too melodramatic.

"Alright. Now shoo, Siri, I still have to study."

He snorted but straightened up anyways.

"You study too much, My, half an hour and I'm ripping you away from those books for supper."

"Yeah, yeah, get outta here, Sirius."

I heard his footsteps receding and turned back to Potion Remedies for Magical Maladies again.

"Hermione?"

I turned my head to see him still standing in the doorway.

"Yeah?"

"_Are_ you going to have lunch with him?"

I looked back at the letter, for some reason I didn't want to face Sirius when I answered his question.

"Yeah, I think so, you're right after all – I _do_ need a little break."

He didn't say anything and I just heard his footsteps echo softly down the hallway.

* * *

I was waiting for Sirius and Harry to come out from Quality Quidditch Supplies before the three of us headed to the Burrow for Harry's surprise birthday party – he thought we were just going on one of the random supper invitations Mrs. Weasley often sent us. Entrance exams for St. Mungo's medi-witch training program were just two weeks away and there were still three books and a sheaf of notes I wanted to review. Cloaked figures in the Leaky Cauldron aren't all that uncommon and no one looked up when a new patron entered completely covered by a dark, forest green cloak. I didn't notice they'd sat across from me until I heard my 'old' name. 

"Mya."

I looked up from Cures for Advanced & Obscure Magical Maladies & Injuries to see hands still hidden by green material slowly placed on the table. The clearly male voice repeated my name with a certain strange emphasis.

"_Mya..._Mya...I - I need help."

My hand instinctively flew to my wand though I didn't make any sudden move towards the stranger.

"And you are...?"

His long left sleeve that covered his hand was slowly shaken away to reveal a bloody hand and a bruised and cut forearm. My eyes were instantly drawn to a mangled black spot on his lower forearm where most of the deep cuts seemed to be. He used his hand to pull the hood of the cloak just far enough back to reveal his face. A bruised and bloody Draco Malfoy. And there was that strange emphasis on my name again in a slightly shaking voice.

"_Mya_ I need _help_."

I hesitated. This _was_, after all, Draco Malfoy - but then again, it was also Drake. Drake was my friend and while I hadn't ever been close to Draco Malfoy we _had_ gotten along in our own way the past year. When he sighed resignedly, pulled the cloak back over his face and made to stand up I made an instant decision.

"Wait."

Careful not to touch him in the likely case he was hurt elsewhere I stuck my hand out to stop him and thought quickly. I'd told Drake I'd be his friend. And I wanted to become a medi-witch for god's sake! A profession in which I'd make my living healing people! Though not death eaters. But Drake wasn't a death eater. Though Draco Malfoy very well might be. Worst case scenario - he was faking his injuries and would either kidnap or attempt to kill me as soon as we were alone; but Sirius and Harry couldn't be too much longer in coming and there wouldn't be enough time for an Apparition trail to fade in the quarter of an hour it might take them.

Tom!"

I flagged the passing barman down.

"Could we please have one of the small private parlor rooms?"

"Of course Miss Hermione, just a minute."

As Tom left to get the key I eyed Draco Malfoy uncertainly. He sighed, "thank you, Mya."

Tom quickly came back with a key to room 14, which, considering Kev's hockey number, I took as a good sign. "Thanks Tom, can you put the room on the Black account please?"

Sirius, Harry and I used the same account at the Leaky Cauldron and simply split the cost three-ways at the end of the month - it seemed much less complicated than setting up an extra two accounts that still went to the same address as the third account.

"Sure, Miss Hermione, can I sends anything into the parlor for you?"

I glanced at Draco Malfoy who stayed hunched over the small table.

"Just tea please, and a few scones maybe."

"Sure Miss Hermione."

I waited for Tom to leave before standing up.

"C'mon, you can tell me whatever you need help with in there."

I motioned for Malfoy to walk ahead of me and followed him to the back hallway filled with doors to private dining rooms. I unlocked the door and waved him in before me again before closing the door behind me. I watched him sit down in one of the chairs and followed suit across from him as scones and two cups of tea appeared on the table.

"So..."

He immediately stood up again.

"I need _help_. Friends _help_ Mya."

He laughed bitterly.

"_Hufflepuffs_ have friends, _Ravenclaws_ have _study partners_, _Gryffindorks_ - " another bitter laugh and then, "_Gryffindors_ have friends but Slytherins we - we have enemies and we have _allies_ we - we don't have _friends_. Draco Malfoy does not have friends but Drake - Drake had _friends_."

He spun towards me and looked almost pleading.

"Drake had _friends_ - had _fun_ - had _life_."

The confused person in front of me let out an almost hysterical short laugh.

"I found out - I found out last night - "

He stumbled and held out his bloody left forearm. This close it was clear that the black mark on the part of his skin that was most chopped up had at one time been the Dark Mark.

"Mya was - _you_, Mya, _you_ were my first _friend_ - and then - then Benjy. He _killed_ him! My - My own father _killed_ one of the only _friends_ Drake - I - I ever had! He _killed_ him! Mya - Mya I need help. I can't - I just can't - I have to get out."

I stood up.

"_Drake_."

Hearing the name seemed to calm him down a little.

"You can't just _get out_ Drake," I repeated words Sirius had said before, "the only way you get out of Voldemort's service is in a coffin."

"I can't - I _have_ to Mya - I just _have_ to."

Someone knocked on the door and we both turned toward it.

"Hermione?"

"'Mione? You alright in there?"

"Yes I'm fine, just a second guys."

I looked at Drake uncertainly. I couldn't just leave him here after all.

"You should probably pull your hood back up."

His eyes widened slightly but he did what I told him to and followed me out of the room.

"Hi Siri, Harry. This is my friend Drake," I looked pointedly at Sirius who obviously realized what it meant, "he was in a bit of a fight earlier so I'm gonna take him home and attempt to fix him back up again. I'll meet you at the Burrow, alright?"

"Sure 'Mione."

"Yeah, no problem Hermione, we'll tell Mrs. Weasley. Hope you feel better, mate."

Drake nodded a bit.

As the four of us made our way to the front of the Leaky Cauldron Sirius gripped my elbow and leaned down to whisper in my ear.

"Only if you're sure, Mya, but if you're not at the party in an hour I'll worry and come home, alright?"

I smiled gratefully at him before handing Tom the key and watching him and Harry floo out. Exhaling heavily I turned to Drake and held out my hand.

55 minutes later I was flooing back to Grimmauld Place from Hogwarts _sans _Drake. It hadn't even taken a full quarter of an hour of convincing – the entirety of the Knight Bus ride – before he agreed, however reluctantly, to go see Dumbledore. Somewhere along the way – more than probably with the knowledge that his best _friend_ had been killed by his father – Draco Malfoy had become more like Drake Taite than I'd ever expected him too, even after our short conversation at graduation. After talking to Dumbledore he'd agreed to take up a small flat in London – _6719 Burgess Avenue, Apartment #4D_, I mentally reminded myself – under the pretense of wanting to be situated closer to the Ministry and go back to his father and the death eaters as a spy – quite like Professor Snape though Drake hadn't been told the professor was also a spy. I'm now his 'handler' for lack of a better word: simply because Dumbledore doubts – and I agree – that very few other people in the Order will believe he's sincere, at least, at first. Even _I'm_ not entirely convinced he's _completely_ sincere. But he's still Drake.

Sighing heavily I collapsed on my and Sirius' couch in front of the fireplace. Barely a minute later flames shot up and a familiar head stuck out, immediately calling out my name, "Hermione!"

"I'm right here, Siri."

"Oh."

He seemed to blink a few times though it might've been a trick of the flames.

"Well, what're you waiting for? Come on over!"

"But Sirius I'm…" I sighed and finished to an empty house and empty fireplace, "exhausted."

Sighing again I stood and picked up a pinch of floo powder before throwing it in the grate and stepping in.

"The Burrow!"

When I stepped out of the other fireplace it was into a party definitely already in full swing. Brightly-colored decorations were hung and strewn from every corner of the living room. Even over the pumping music thumps could be heard coming from outside – undoubtedly Bill and Charlie were smashing the tables together like they had done before the Quidditch World Cup years.

"Hermione!"

I smiled tiredly, slightly unsure why – after all, studying and too little sleep, even in the huge amounts I'd been doing it in lately, have never bothered me before.

"Hey Harry, happy birthday."

"Thanks, Hermione!" He engulfed me in a hug, "I can't believe you guys organized all this for me!"

He kissed my cheek before sharply and quickly pulling back from me – suddenly looking somewhat shyly at something or someone behind me.

"Hello, Luna."

"Happy birthday, Harry, though I'll warn you now that it might not be – I _did_ see a Froojly as I was on my way over and everyone knows those are bad luck on any anniversary of some kind."

"Oh, really? That's a, er, shame."

I rolled my eyes but didn't bother pointing out that Froojly's didn't exist before I left the two of them alone together. Harry, at least, seemed slightly interested. I hadn't gone two paces before someone else appeared in front of me and grasped my arms, this time frowning slightly.

"You look exhausted. Go back to Grimmauld and sleep why don't you?"

I snorted and spoke sarcastically, "gee, Siri, you really know the way to a girl's heart."

"Seriously, My," he was already holding my elbow and turning me back around to the fireplace. I pulled my arm out of his grasp.

"Really, Siri, I'll be fine."

I smiled and wandered off before he could say anything else. Had I even slept at all last night or had I just read for the entrance exams? And when was the last time I'd stopped studying to grab something to eat – had I even touched the scones at the Leaky Cauldron? Why on _earth_ was I so tired?

It wasn't until much later – after supper and the cake had been eaten and presents had been opened, when everyone was just sitting around the Weasley's bright living room – that I realized Sirius had been watching me carefully most of the night. Even then it was just a half-observation as my eyes seemed to close themselves the second it was somewhat quiet. But it was Harry's birthday – I very well couldn't just _leave_! Instead I sat next to Sirius on the couch, sighed and slowly rest my head against his shoulder. I was only going to close my eyes for a second, just a second, just to rest them…

I was being lifted up though I couldn't be bothered to open my eyes. Someone with a warm, familiar voice was cradling me to them – one arm under my knees and another behind my neck – and murmuring good-byes. I turned toward the warmth and felt us spinning before we were moving and then up, up, up again. I felt overwhelmingly safe as I was being set back down on something soft – a bed – though the warmth was leaving. Feeling I should make some kind of protest at this I blindly reached a hand out towards it. Instead, someone tucked a blanket around me…there was a murmured term of endearment…a light kiss…a softly closing door…and suddenly Kevin's smiling face was swimming behind my eyelids.

"_Congratulations, Hermione. I'm happy for you, love; he'll take care of you."_

I frowned slightly at my childhood companion's confusing statement before finally falling into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

I stumbled down the stairs to the ground floor of Number 12 Grimmauld Place late in the morning on August 1st with a pounding headache. My footsteps felt heavier and I was still in the now-rumpled clothes I had first dressed in yesterday morning. I hit my elbow on the side of the doorway to the kitchen and nearly missed the chair when I slumped straight down to sit across from Sirius at the table. I barely registered his wince before he spoke. 

"'Morning, beautiful, how're you feeling?"

I feebly glared at him.

"Miserable."

He pushed a mug of coffee toward me on the worn kitchen table.

"Here, maybe this'll wake you up."

He took another sip of whatever he was drinking and said almost _too_ casually, "you got another letter from Anthony Goldstein."

I eyed him suspiciously over the top of my mug and he was quick to add on that he hadn't opened it; he'd just recognized the handwriting.

_Dear Hermione,_

_I, personally, found the food where we had our last lunch delicious. However, I've recently been informed that there's a small wizarding Italian bistro near the Ministry building; supposedly the food there is even better! I think it would certainly be interesting to eat in a wizarding restaurant. Perhaps you would like to join me for lunch there today? We could continue our stimulating discussion on how much impact on healing potion remedies should have. I still believe you place too much importance on the potion part of it, though that might be because Professor Snape was my least favorite professor! Anyways, please let me know soon._

_Yours truly,_

_Anthony_

Sirius snorted, "you had a '_stimulating_ discussion' on potion remedies?" He sounded incredulous and I immediately became defensive.

"Yes actually, it was nice to talk academics with someone as interested as I am for once."

"A '_stimulating_ discussion,'" he shook his head before acting as if he was about to stand up but was waiting for something. "Well?"

"Well what?"

"_Are_ you going to continue your '_stimulating_ discussion?'"

The way he kept emphasizing the words 'stimulating discussion' was really starting to annoy me.

"Yes."

"Oh," he almost sounded defeated in some way though he stood up.

"Well, we'll both get to eat out since Diana flooed and invited Moony and me to have lunch at the Leaky Cauldron."

"That's…great, Siri," I forced a smile up at him though the coffee tasted slightly off and seemed to make me feel even worse.

"Yes."

* * *

Sirius is a grown man – a grown _wizard_ – he _can_ take care of himself. That doesn't change the fact, though, that there's currently a war going on and while Voldemort and his death eaters haven't been publicly active lately it wouldn't be surprising if they killed or kidnapped a member of the Order. Especially one seen as close to Harry as Sirius. 

"Hermione?"

I heard Harry's footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Hermione?"

"In here."

I took a sip of my hot chocolate and waited a moment for Harry to appear in the doorway.

"Is he still not back?"

"Nope."

Harry sighed and ran a hand through his already messy hair.

"If he's not home by tomorrow morning we'll contact Dumbledore."

"Alright."

"If he gets home while you're still up will you wake me?"

"Sure, Harry."

"Thanks. 'Night."

"Good night."

I watched Harry leave again before I turned back to the front window. Where _was_ he? He'd gone out to have lunch with Remus and Diana Gudgeon but that was hours ago. Harry and I had first worried when Sirius never came back to Grimmauld for supper but now - at a little past midnight - the slight worry had turned into a desperate hope that he was still alright. I wish I hadn't gotten _so _mad at him back at _Magical Florence_, but really! He was practically _spying _on Anthony and I and not even being subtle about it!

"_Hey, Mya."_

_I immediately recognized the voice and felt my eyes widen._

"_Sirius! What're you doing here!"_

_Turned away from Anthony I very nearly glared at Sirius though it wasn't particularly strong, for some reason I felt even worse than I had when I'd woken up in the morning._

"_I was worried about you, of course!" He gave me a friendly, too-**normal** looking grin._

"_Er, hello."_

_Anthony, ever the proper, polite Ravenclaw uncertainly stuck his hand out to shake._

"_I'm Anthony Goldstein, one of Hermione's old school friends."_

_Sirius smiled at him but seemingly didn't notice his outstretched hand._

"_Nice to meet you Tony, I'm Sirius, Sirius Black, Mya and I live together."_

"_Oh?"_

_Anthony looked uncertainly at me but let his hand drop back down to his side without being shaken._

"_Sirius, **what**, exactly,are you doing here?"_

_He smiled at me again._

"_I was worried about you. You looked horrible this morning and said you felt miserable. Y'know I didn't think you should've even left the house much less gone on a lunch date when you felt like throwing up."_

"_Oh?"_

_Anthony looked worried._

"_I didn't know you were ill, Hermione, you should've told me, I would've understood. We can reschedule if you're still not feeling well."_

"_No, no, I'm fine Anth-"_

"_Would that be alright? Thanks so much Tony! I'll make sure she gets plenty of rest and owls you when she's feeling better!"_

"_Sirius! **No**!"_

_But Anthony was already out of earshot and no matter how much I wriggled my arm, Sirius was stronger than I was and I couldn't get out of his grip. He dragged me to the floo port where we both flooed back to Grimmauld._

"_What's **wrong** with you!"_

_I was annoyed, frustrated, still felt miserable and was now yelling at him. Why on **earth** would he have done that!_

"_You shouldn't have even gone on that date! You should've been sleeping! You look like hell and you feel miserable, Mya, I did you a favor!"_

"_No, Sirius, you didn't. **You** should've just left me alone! What's **wrong** with you!"_

"_What's **wrong** with me! Gee, My, maybe I was thinking of helping out a friend by doing what's best for her!"_

_What's **best** for **me**! He thought getting dragged out of a date was what's **best** for **me**! Where the hell does he get off deciding that!_

"_You can't just **decide**, all on your own, what's best for me, Sirius! You're supposed to be my **friend**! You're supposed to support me! You're not my father or my brother or even my boyfriend!"_

"_**Fine**!" By now, we were on opposite ends of the living room and Sirius was shouting too._

"_**I** was just trying to **help** but **fine**! I'll just get out of your **way** and go meet Diana and Remus!"_

"_Fine!"_

"_Okay!"_

"_Go on then!"_

"_Fine! The Leaky Cauldron!"_

_And with that Sirius had flooed out of the biggest fight we'd ever had. It wasn't entirely my fault, I mean, it couldn't be! **He** was the one who barged in on my date and dragged me off! Even if he **did **have good intentions and I know I really **shouldn't **have gone with the way I'm **still** feeling…But, damnit…What was he **thinking**?_

"_Hermione?"_

_I groaned at Harry standing questioningly on the stairs and threw myself into an armchair._

"_Not **now**."_

A few hours later my headache had cleared up and I felt much better though neither Harry nor I had seen Sirius since then. And even now he wasn't home.

There was a thump against the front door and loud, drunken laughing. Alright, so maybe he _was_ home. I waited in my spot on the couch to see if he'd be able to open the door on his own.

"Don't be silly!" a drunken giggle and then, "nuh uh! Magic doesn't exist!"

Oh gods no. Please don't tell me Sirius was _stupid_ enough to get drunk and bring back to _Number 12 Grimmauld Place_, _headquarters for the Order_, not just a random – because that was definitely _not_ Diana's voice – equally drunk woman but a _muggle_ woman who doesn't know anything about magic. He better not have. I narrowed my eyes furiously and practically stomped to the front door, throwing it open when I got there.

"Are you absolutely out of your _mind_?"

I grabbed a fistful of Sirius' shirt and pulled him in the door before screaming at the woman who'd been with him.

"Get _out_! Out, out, _out_!"

I was too mad at Sirius to notice the weather I'd sent her out in. I spun around to face him.

"You _brought someone back to Order headquarters_! Someone who isn't a member! What were you _thinking_!"

I slammed the door shut and tried to push him into the living room but he turned on me, looking equally furious.

"What did you do! She was my _date_!"

I stopped and stared at him, sharply ignoring the small part of my heart that seemed to break at the word.

"Your _date_! You found yourself a _date_ and decided you could just bring her back to _Order headquarters_!"

"You practically did the same thing!"

"I did _what_? I most certainly did not!"

"But you would've!"

He wasn't making any sense anymore and was probably drunker than I'd first assumed.

"You shouldn't have even been able to go on that date! You should've felt too sick! I know the potion and –"

His eyes widened and he cut himself off, seeming to realize – even in his drunken haze – that he'd said something he really shouldn't have.

_You **should've** felt too sick! I know the **potion** and I _–

_the coffee tasted slightly off and seemed to make me feel even worse_

I faltered and stared incredulously at him…what potion? The taste in my coffee...Oh god.

"A _potion_! You _drugged_ me so I wouldn't feel well enough to go see Anthony!"

I couldn't possibly believe the idea he'd implied – it seemed far-fetched.

"He's not right for you!"

And Sirius isn't denying the idea. Oh god.

"You _drugged_ me? You can't just _drug_ someone when you decide you don't like who they're seeing!"

"But he's not right for you and you _won't_ see him again!"

When did this get about me anyways?

"You can't decide that _for_ me! You have no right to, Sirius! And you can't use Anthony as an excuse to bring a random _muggle woman_ to Order headquarters!"

"It's _my house_! You _live_ in _my_ house! It's my right!"

_What_! Well, in _that_ case, if he thought I was going to live there and let him dictate who I'd see…

"_Fine_! Maybe I just _won't_ live in your house anymore!"

"Fine!"

"Fine! _Toute Rendente_!"

I heard a flurry of movement upstairs and didn't have to wait long before my fully-packed trunk flew down the stairs – narrowly missing giving Harry another scar. It didn't surprise me that he was standing there.

"Fine!"

"_Fine_!" I screamed back at Sirius a last time before throwing the front door open and lugging my trunk behind me.

It was, appropriately, raining. Pouring, actually. I hadn't gone five paces from the front stoop of Grimmauld Place before I was completely drenched.

"_Argh_! _Why_ does it have to be raining _now_!" I screamed up at the sky in general. Life just wasn't fair. I dragged my huge and heavy trunk another few steps before making a second noise of frustration and just sticking my wand arm out in the middle of the street. I had to jump back as soon as I saw a huge purple bus coming towards me and landed square in a puddle on my back.

"Great. Just _bloody _fantastic!"

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, emergency transport for the stranded witch or wizard. Just stick out your wand hand, step on board, and we can take you anywhere you want to go. My name –"

He caught sight of me still sitting in the puddle and started sniggering.

"'Choo fall over for?"

I glared at him, "well it's not like there's much _warning_ before your bus just pops out of nowhere. I didn't actually fall into a puddle on _purpose_ you know."

"Not a lucky 'un, are ya?"

Still furious I slipped past him and onto the bus, dragging my trunk behind me.

"To…" I hesitated, where could I go? I couldn't very well show up at the Burrow or my parents' house in the middle of the night. And I didn't know Anthony's exact address though I doubted I would've gone there even if I had. Instead, I gave Stan Shunpike the only other address I knew by heart in London.

"6719BurgessAvenue, please, and some hot chocolate."

"Nine Sickles."

I pulled the required amount of money from a pocket and sat heavily down on one of the beds.

"Take 'er away, Ern,"

"Eep!"

I grabbed onto one of the bedposts as the bus violently started up again. Five minutes later I was being helped off the bus and dropped off with my trunk in front of an old apartment building. It was still pouring rain in this part of London too and I skirted a few puddles on my way to the buzzer thingy I could never remember the exact name for. I ran my finger down the list of names, smiling slightly when I saw _D. Taite_ as the name in apartment 4D. I pressed the button, not bothering at the moment to wonder at the fact that Draco Malfoy was clearly living in a _muggle_ apartment building. There was a long pause and I pressed the button again.

"_Yeah_?"

The voice, with reason, sounded sleepy.

"Drake?" I coughed unexpectedly, "it's Mya –" I didn't have the chance to say anything else before the door was buzzed open, "thank you." By the time I'd managed to drag my trunk to the elevator on the opposite side of the apartment building's small lobby the elevator opened to reveal a rumpled Draco Malfoy in just shorts.

"What's going on?"

His eyes immediately snapped to my trunk before turning questioningly back to me. I closed mine and just breathed quietly for a second before opening them and looking back up at him.

"I need a place to stay for the night."

He took a few moments to blink and observe me before seeming to decide against asking me anything.

"Alright, Mya."

With that Draco Malfoy, my practically sworn enemy of six years and uneasy ally of one, helped me pull my trunk into the elevator, into his apartment, and let me fall asleep with a blanket on his couch.

**Edit (21.01.06):End Note- A few days ago, a friend of mine asked me why I made such a big deal out of Draco emphasizing 'Mya' and never actually calling Hermione 'Hermione.' It didn't ocurr to me until then that just because it seemed overwhelmingly obvious to me, not everyone else was on the same wavelength (grins sheepishly) For their first six years at Hogwarts (in my fic at least) Draco Malfoy & Hermione Granger absolutely detest each other - Draco only sees Hermione as a mudblood, Gryffin_dork_ know-it-all who's always annoying and a best friend to Harry Potter. But, when they were stranded alone together for a month in the past, Draco was able to become uneasy friends with Mya Taite. She was actually his first _friend_ - versus just ally - something he says earlier in this chapter. Draco Malfoy would never - _could_ never - ask Hermione Granger - ****mudblood, Gryffindork know-it-all who's always annoying and a best friend to Harry Potter - for help, though he _can_ ask Mya Taite - his first real friend - for help. While he _has _accepted that they're the same person - to a certain extent at least - it's still much easier to call Hermione 'Mya' and be friends with her instead of fully admitting that his first friend was Hermione Granger, a mudblood, Gryffindor, know-it-all and best friend of Harry Potter. Anyways, to anyone - like Sangdi - who wasn't _quite_ sure why Draco never called Hermione 'Hermione', there's your answer ;-) Thanks.**

**-C.R.C. **


	18. 17:A New Beginning & Flat

Eulogizing Memoirs

Amelie Rae Lanhoss

**A/N- Halleluiah! Mid-terms are _finally_ over! (dances wildly) And I have a long weekend! Yay! (laughs) Anyways, thanks so very much to everyone who patiently waited me out and read the last chapter (particularly to the people who also took the time to review). Review responses, as always, are currently up in my bio. This next chapter is dedicated to sunshine37 for an amazingly nice review – thanks for being so patient – and in loving memory always to K.M.L.**

**-C.R.C.**

Chapter 17 – A New Beginning & Flat

"You do realize you can't just live on my couch, right?"

I had to blink a few times after I opened my eyes groggily in order to fully make out the shape standing over me as Draco Malfoy. I'm not sure I slept at all last night…though I suppose I must've if I'm only now waking up. He cleared his throat and I realized Drake must be waiting for some kind of response.

"I know. I'll find somewhere to rent." _Anywhere I can stay that isn't Grimmauld Place_. For some reason he looked hesitant before speaking again.

"You know…the guy in the flat below mine is moving out at the end of the week…if you talked to the landlord now you could probably get it." I must've been staring or something because he was quick to add, "not that I particularly want you in the same building as me of course, I just want you off my couch."

I smiled at him gratefully all the same.

"Thank you."

Inexplicably, unexpectedly, a pink tinge appeared on his cheeks.

"You're welcome, Mya."

* * *

The flat, as a whole, wasn't horribly small though none of the rooms were very big. The room off of the first one still held a stove and refrigerator, which Drake's soon-to-be ex-neighbor quickly informed me would stay there and become mine if I chose to move in. The biggest room, the first one we'd walked into, I could easily see as doubling as a mini-library and study. There was a single tiny bathroom with a toilet, sink, small shower and somewhat cracked mirror. It was connected to the kitchen and two other small rooms, one already holding a bed frame. I stood in the doorway of the second, empty, room wondering what to do with it. I didn't want a _miniscule_ flat but I didn't want one with so many rooms I didn't know what to do with all of them either. Maybe I could use it as a second library… Finally, it was Drake who spoke up when I least expected him to.

"You could make it up for Pothead and the Weasel."

"What?"

"The room," he clarified, "when Potter and Weasley both find wit-" he glanced at his muggle neighbor before continuing, "women stupid enough to date them or – Merlin forbid – actually marry and _procreate_ with them…"

He stopped to shudder and I ignored his neighbor's confusion over the reference to Merlin to continue his thought.

"Though they'll have the best of intentions, they can sometimes be somewhat dense when it comes to their girlfriends and now they'll have somewhere to stay in case their girlfriends get _really_ mad at them."

Drake snorted at my explanation but didn't bother to contradict me. I turned back to the room.

"It's a good idea."

I looked at the faded wooden floor and peeling brown wallpaper and tried to imagine Chudley-Canon-orange plastered all over with Ron or Harry laying haphazardly across a futon bed. Instead, the sudden image of Sirius sitting on the edge of a bed with rumpled pale gold covers; running a hand through his disheveled hair and grinning tiredly at me from a forest green room with polished wood flooring appeared in my mind. _No!_ It won't happen. Sirius and I are fighting. I forced the image away, shook my head and ignored the strange thumping noise my heart seemed to make.

"Mya?"

"Yeah, Drake?"

"Are you…"

I sighed heavily.

"I'm fine."

Turning to Drake's neighbor, I forced myself to smile at him while I asked, "When is it available?"

He grinned widely at me.

"Are you serious? Everything's already boxed up and most of it's already gone. I can have the rest gone by Friday, easily."

I turned to Drake.

"Can I live on your couch another two nights?"

He sighed dramatically, "I suppose so, Mya."

"That'd be great, Mr…"

"Oh! Please! Just David, David Reilly." We shook hands and he continued talking while I walked around the flat again. "So, you're Drake's sister, right?"

"Cousin," I answered absentmindedly, a month in the past having drilled into me an instinct to answer that way. The wallpaper in the kitchen's a horrible design that's peeling as badly as in the extra room. It'd look a lot better if I just peeled it all off and painted the kitchen walls a light blue…or maybe a pale yellow…

"Ah, right then. Would you like to go see the landlord right now? We could get the whole place legally signed over to you right now. I mean, if you have time that is…"

I smiled at him, "Sure."

Drake's – and now my – landlord was a nit-picky sort of fellow in his mid-fifties who, though he seemed immensely glad to have someone start renting out the flat as soon as possible, he went over all the rules of the building twice with me and insisted that I keep a spare key outside of the flat somewhere in case I ever got locked out. I very well couldn't tell him I'd simply _Alohomora_ the door open and instead promised over and over again to make a key copy and be very careful. The right papers were signed and the first month's rent was paid upfront with a muggle credit card my parents had given me ages ago. I made a mental note to exchange money at Gringotts and deposit some in the account. I shook my new landlord, Gaston Herger's, hand before turning to Drake's now-ex-neighbor and thanking him again. He simply smiled and promised to leave his key under the "Welcome!" mat on Friday afternoon. With that, I had a new place to live and David Reilly walked in and out of my life…for the first time…

* * *

_Harry Potter_

_12 Grimmauld Place, London_

_August 5_

_Dear Harry,_

_I was in such a hurry to get out of Grimmauld that I used a spell meant only to pack clothing. Could you please box up my books and the rest of my things and find a way to send them over? I'm living in a muggle building so I'm not on the floo but I'm sure there's another way to send heavy things – it is the wizarding world after all! I'm in 3D at 6719 Burgess Avenue. Thanks, Harry._

_Love,_

_Hermione_

* * *

_Hermione Granger_

_6719 Burgess Avenue #3D, Muggle London_

_August 7_

_Dear Hermione,_

_Sure, it's no problem. Are you sure you want to permanently move out though? Anyways, Sirius told me about a wizarding delivery service and you should get your things tomorrow or the day after. I'm not sure quite what he did but he's really sorry, 'Mione, and we both miss you._

_Love,_

_Harry_

* * *

_Harry Potter_

_12 Grimmauld Place, London_

_August 8_

_Harry-_

_I'm positive._

_-Hermione_

* * *

There was a loud crack from the front room and then-

"Delivery for Hermione Granger!"

I abandoned my paint in the kitchen and headed towards the voice. There was a man who looked to be a few years older than me standing in the middle of my study dressed in annoyingly bright lime green and neon yellow. He was holding a purple clipboard with shooting stars across the back and there was a stack of cardboard boxes next to him.

"Yes?"

"Hermione Granger? I'm from Wiz Express – your reliable express delivery service for anything large or oblong in the wizarding world – I've got a delivery here for you in the form of nine cardboard boxes labeled as books and two cardboard boxes labeled as 'personal effects' from a Mr. Harry Potter."

The delivery-man's eyes widened as I walked over and when he spoke it was in an awed tone of voice.

"You know Harry Potter!"

"Yes, of course, he's one of my best friends. Do I have to sign something to get my boxes?"

He held out the clipboard and quill, still staring at me.

"You're _the_ Hermione Granger!"

I signed the clipboard and handed it back to him, "I'm the only one I know, yes."

"Whoa…wait 'til I tell all my friends! I know _the_ Hermione Granger, who's _friends_ with _the_ Harry Potter!"

"Er, yes, well – thank you for the delivery."

"Oh! No problem at all Miss Granger!"

He snapped his fingers, tucked the metal plate that slipped out from under the boxes under his arm, waved and apparated out again. The top two boxes were the 'personal effects' boxes and I picked the first one up, carrying it into my bedroom. I set the box down on my transfigured mattress – originally it had been one of Drake's couch pillows – and opened it up. The first thing on top was the scrapbook I had bought ages ago. I opened the front cover to find all of the various decorations for it I had bought lying under an envelope with my name in Harry's handwriting on it. I opened the envelope first. When I went to pull out the letter my hand instead grasped what felt like a thick stack of photos, pulling them out I realized the short letter was written on thin muggle lined paper folded in four and most of the envelope _had_, in fact, been taken up by the pictures.

_Dear Hermione,_

_After what Sirius did (he finally told me) I fully understand why you don't want to come back but still…He was your best friend, wasn't he? He knew about Missy before Ron and I did…He knew about "Drake" before us (Dumbledore told us)…He's known a lot of things about you that Ron and I didn't. And you know him too. You were right, that day on the train, about knowing what he really wanted. I asked him later. I can't tell you how strange it feels, knowing one of my best friends and my godfather, of all people, know each other better than anyone else…but, somehow, it feels even stranger, knowing you two aren't talking. Sirius really is sorry, you know. Anyways, you told me once that you wanted to remember all the friends you'd ever had and find a place to keep them safe. Alright, I lied, you told Sirius – not me. Doesn't that right there mean something? I wish you'd stop fighting. Just think about it when you go through the pictures._

_Love,_

_Harry_

I set his letter aside and picked up the first picture on the stack. It was a wizarding shot of Sirius and I at the squirt gun war behind Grimmauld Place. Sirius squirted me, I shot a spurt of water from the hose at him, he picked me up – hose and all – and spun me, tickling me, out of the side of the picture. The next picture was of me having fallen asleep against Sirius at Harry's birthday party. Then there was Sirius and I – still looking like Mya – dancing at the "Welcome Back" party. Sirius and Harry smiling like loons in front of a cruise ship. Sirius half-hugging me from behind while I attempted to study. Sirius and I at my graduation. Sirius and I holding mugs of hot chocolate at Christmas. Sirius grinning up at me from 'our' couch. And then, inexplicably, a picture of us from my time-travels. Sitting in the common room, me glaring at him, him laughing at me, kissing my cheek and walking out the side of the frame as my picture-self blushed. I sighed and slid down to sit on the floor. Barely a week and I already missed my best friend like crazy – though there's absolutely _no way_ that _I'm_ going to be the one who apologizes first; _I'm_ not the one who drugged _him_!

I picked up the picture of us at Christmas again and smiled sadly. Pulling the scrapbook towards me, I found a Christmas page and Christmas stickers and set about putting the whole thing together.

* * *

There was a buzzing noise coming from my study-slash-mini-library. Someone buzzing to come up at…I squinted so I could make out the red glowing numbers on the alarm clock next to my bed – 3:19 am. _My god_. And I had the entrance exams for the St. Mungo's program at 9:00! I groaned and pulled the cover over my head. Whoever it was downstairs buzzed again.

"_Argh_!"

Giving up, I slid out of my bed – jumping when my bare feet touched the cold floor – and headed towards the front room. I pressed the button before sleepily talking into the speaker.

"Yes? Who is it?"

"_Mya? Mya – please – I'm sorry…_"

I was incredulous, "Sirius!"

"_Please, Hermione, please let me come up._"

The clock flickered to 3:21 am and I sighed.

"Alright."

I pressed the button to open the door downstairs.

"Honestly, Sirius, what are you thinking _now_?"

No one was there to hear, much less answer, my whispered question and – eventually – I forced myself to open the door and walk down the hallway to the elevator. I didn't have to wait long before the doors opened and Sirius stumbled out.

"Hermione."

He leaned against me when I wasn't expecting it and we both almost fell down.

"Hermione, I'm sorry. I was stupid, Mya, I'm sorry. I just –"

He collapsed and fell to the ground, almost dragging me down with him. I didn't get to find out just what he was – it was immediately obvious that he'd passed out because he'd been drinking. His breath still smelled like firewhiskey. I sighed.

"Mya?"

"Is everything alright? We heard a thump…"

Turning around I saw two of my new muggle neighbors – a young, newly married couple only a few years older than I was – standing in the doorway to their apartment, dressed just in bathrobes.

"My best friend…" I waved a hand towards Sirius' collapsed body and attempted to smile sheepishly. "Well, Siri just never seems to know when to walk out of a bar."

"Oh."

"Are you going to have him crash on your couch?"

I _do_ have a couch, right? I've been studying so much for the exams tomorrow – _this_, today – morning that I've only bothered to transfigure the absolutely needed furniture.

"Er…I actually don't have a couch yet…I suppose I'll have to put him in my bed and make myself something up on the floor."

Lyanne looked a little worried and Patrick frowned slightly before offering to help if I was sure. I grinned gratefully.

"That'd be wonderful."

He was strong and pretty tall – at a good bit over six foot – and was able to scoop Sirius up entirely, though he looked a bit heavy. I led the way the few feet back down the hallway to my flat, opened the door and led Patrick through the study and into my bedroom.

"Here."

I pulled the blankets entirely off the bed and watched as he set Sirius down. When he straightened back up I pulled the covers up to Sirius' neck before thanking Patrick.

"Would you like me to make some tea? Maybe we should wake him up? At least, so he can get himself out of his wet clothes."

I turned to see Lyanne in the doorway – I hadn't even noticed she'd followed us in – and hesitated.

"Um…no thanks, I think I'll just let him sleep it off."

"Alright well…if you're sure."

"I am. Thanks you guys, let me walk you out."

Patrick smiled sleepily and I realized how exhausted they both looked – not that I probably looked any better.

"Don't worry about it, Mya, just take care of your friend."

I watched them leave and called out one last time.

"Thanks again."

Lyanne waved while Patrick shut the door; seconds later I heard another door shut and knew they were back in their own flat.

"Sirius, Sirius, Sirius…what am I going to do with you…"

I sighed before moving to the foot of the bed and flipping the covers up. I took off his shoes and set them on the floor before going to my wand sitting on the makeshift dresser. I cast a Drying Charm on his clothes and a Cushioning Charm on the ground before flipping the blankets back down to cover his feet and heading into the bathroom. I didn't bother turning on the lights to glance at myself in the mirror – knowing I'd just look exhausted – and simply picked up one of the bath towels. Hesitating, I grabbed a second one and went back to my bedroom and its new occupant.

The bigger towel I transfigured into a blanket and laid it out on the cushioned floor. Holding the second towel I gingerly sat on the edge of my bed and carefully started to dry Sirius' hair slightly; attempting not to wake him. It didn't work for too long.

"Mya?"

He barely murmured it but I could understand my name nonetheless.

"Shh, Siri, we'll talk in the morning."

"'Mione," he gripped my arm, "I'm sorry," he slowly closed his eyes.

Seeing he was asleep again, I carefully pried my arm from his grasp and threw the wet towel in the general direction of the door to the bathroom. Sighing, I laid down on the floor, cushioned my head with my arm, pulled the transfigured towel over me and promptly fell asleep again.

* * *

"Hermione?"

Someone was shaking me softly.

"'Mione? Wake up."

I groaned and swatted the hand, somehow feeling more exhausted than I'd been when I'd gone to sleep for some reason.

"Hermione? It's Sirius, c'mon, wake up."

Oh. Right. That's why.

"Lemme sleep a little longer, Siri."

The shaking was a little more forceful.

"You can't, Mya. Your exams are at 9:00, it's already 8:15 – and we have to talk."

8:15?

I shot up and immediately bumped my head against Sirius'.

"Ah!"

"Ow…"

We both started rubbing our foreheads.

"Hermione, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done what I did. It was wrong and horrible and abused your trust. I'm ashamed of myself."

I looked at him.

"Sirius."

"Yeah?"

"Remus made you memorize that apology, didn't he?"

He smiled a bit sheepishly.

"Yeah. But I really am sorry."

I sighed.

"Yeah, I know, Siri."

"I just – I just –" he started speaking very softly.

"What?"

He sighed.

"I just got jealous, Mione. I thought I was losing – losing my best friend to someone else. I mean – I – I love you, Hermione."

I smiled at him and threw my arms around his neck.

"You won't lose me, Siri. I love you too, you _are_ my best friend after all!"

He chuckled slightly, "right."

"_But_," I pulled back from him, "you have to _swear_ you'll _never_ do that again!"

He smiled at me, "cross my heart. You better start getting ready if you don't want to be late for the exam session."

"Right!"

I headed straight for the bathroom to take a quick shower but – for whatever reason – turned around in the doorway. I saw Sirius sitting on the edge of my bed, rumpled covers behind him; running a hand through his disheveled hair and grinning tiredly up at me. I smiled and cocked my head to one side, making a mental note to pick up green paint after my exams.

"I missed you, Siri. I'm glad we're friends again."

He smiled back at me.

"I missed you too, My."


	19. 18:Birthdays and All They Entail

Eulogizing Memoirs

Amelie Rae Lanhoss

**A/N- I'm sick and have just finished this at about 1:40 in the morning - not a very good combination. I'm currently almost keeling over from exhaustion and wishing I'd headed off to bed with some cough syrup hours ago so excuse any spelling mistakes - I'll try to remember to edit this tomorrow if I'm feeling any better. Can't remember if I mentioned it earlier but I've added an end note to Chapter 16 about Draco and Hermione's relationship thanks to some prodding from my friend, Lyanne Tyler Davidson. So, this chapter is dedicated to her and in loving memory always to K.M.L.**

**-C.R.C.**

Chapter 18 – Birthdays and All They Entail

I came back after yet another grueling day at St. Mungo's Healer Training Academy to find that the elevator in my muggle apartment building was broken. Some birthday present. Sighing, I headed for the stairs and slowly climbed up to the third floor. I made my way down the hall and nearly ran into Lyanne and Patrick who - based on the way they were dressed - were clearly on their way out somewhere. Lyanne giggled when she saw me.

"Have fun, Mya."

Uh...what? Have fun where? Aren't _they_ the ones going out?

"Er, thanks. You guys have fun too..."

"We will."

They shared a secretive smile and walked off. I couldn't help thinking that it was probably one of the strangest encounters I'd ever had. Shaking my head I pulled out my muggle keys and unlocked my door.

"_SURPRISE_!"

"_Ah_! Oh my _god_!"

I dropped my bookbag in the doorway and stared in shock at all the people in front of me. Sirius, Harry, the Weasleys, my _parents_, Cait and Em, the only two muggle friends I had left, my only female cousin, Cassandra, Missy, Drake, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Hestia Jones, Tonks, Remus, Order members whose names I couldn't remember, seemingly all of my graduating class in Gryffindor and then some...but how had all these people fit in my tiny flat? Sirius seemed to read my mind as he pulled me into the room while everyone laughed at my reaction. When music started playing loudly he bent down to talk directly in my ear.

"Harry played the fame card to Fudge and got us a special one-night permit to use magic on muggle property. When we were decorating after you left this morning we just _Allargarsi_ed and _Engorgio_ed all the rooms. Happy birthday, Mya."

"Ermynee!"

"Missy!"

I swung my little sister into my arms and kissed each of my parents' cheeks, greeting them.

"Mum! Dad!"

"Happy birthday darling."

"Ermyneez sup-pise birfday pardee!"

We all laughed at Artemis' exclamation.

"And I was _very_ surprised, Missy."

"Good!"

There was another round of laughter and I grinned up at Sirius. "Thank you, so much." He grinned back at me before wrapping an arm around my shoulders and kissing my forehead. "Don't mention it, Hermione." Mum smiled fondly at us and Dad suddenly launched himself at Missy and I, wrapping us both in a hug.

"I love you both, so so much."

"Ah...thanks Daddy, we love you too."

He pulled back from us.

"Now go have fun, darling, it _is _your birthday party after all."

"C'mon, Missy, let's dance!"

"Dans dans!"

My little sister wriggled in my arms until I let her down and then proceeded to pull me by the hand closer to where the music was playing. Laughing, I turned back and waved at my parents and Sirius, noticing that they seemed to be deep in conversation. Strange. Missy dragged me to the center of a group of people - all dancing and calling out happy birthday wishes - before dancing exuberantly like only a little kid can. At least, until a slow song came on when she stood there and pouted.

"Happy birthday, Hermione."

"Harry!"

I spun around to hug one of my best friends. "Thank you, so much, for everything."

He laughed. "Actually, this was mostly Sirius' work." He faked a gasp, "is that _really_ Missy Granger? You look so much bigger than the last time I saw you!"

She grinned proudly, "I's a-most _seven_!"

"Wow! That must be why!" He grinned over at me, "mind if I steal your adorable little sister for a dance, Hermione?"

Artemis smiled winningly and I laughed. "Not at all, Harry, she's all yours." Harry slowly spun off with my little sister standing on his shoes and I turned around when someone tapped my back.

"Hello, Hermione, happy birthday."

"Anthony!"

I couldn't believe Sirius had invited him. I looked over to see Sirius looking at us and grinned gratefully.

"Here. I'm afraid I can't stay much longer but I wanted to give you your birthday present in person."

He held out an envelope with a small red bow in an upper corner.

"Thank you."

Realizing he was waiting I flipped open the flap of the envelope and reached in to pull out what felt like two small pieces of paper.

"They're tickets. I know how important you believe potions are to healing and thought that perhaps you'd care to join me at the lecture given by Professor Regulus Moonshine in a few weeks."

"_The_ Professor Moonshine!"

He smiled at me. "Yes. It's on a Friday night so perhaps before or after the lecture we could go out for supper." He smiled again before hurriedly adding, "if you'd like to that is."

"Yes, absolutely, I'd love too." I grinned giddily and handed him one of the tickets back. He looked more than pleased and took it.

"Very well, then, I'll see you then?"

"Yes."

He kissed my cheek very politely before wishing me a happy birthday again and leaving.

"Wotcher, Hermione! Happy birthday! New boyfriend?"

I laughed at Tonks and her bright purple hair. "No, not really."

"Sure...whatever you say Hermione!" She turned around and called out to Remus for a dance.

"Dance with me, Hermione!"

I suddenly felt Ron spinning me around and couldn't help but laugh. I had no doubt it was going to be a hectically happy party.

* * *

A few hours later people were starting to leave in huge groups and I stood at the door thanking them all and telling them good night. 

"Bye, Hermione, _great_ party, by the way - I was suprised."

"Er, thanks Lavender, I think."

"Come _on_ Parvati! Rip yourself away from Seamus for two seconds, will you?"

Parvati giggled but nevertheless followed her best friend out after waving good-bye to Seamus Finnigan. Seamus was leaving with Dean Thomas and Justin Finch-Fletchley - after they'd all hugged me good-bye and wished me a happy birthday again - when I spotted Lyanne and Patrick coming in and making their way towards their flat.

"Big birthday bash, Hermione?"

I grinned back at them, "yup."

"Bye, Hermione, love, I hope you have a _wonderful_ birthday with Mister-Tall-Dark-and-Handsome in your huge flat!" She smirked, "I'm sure with all that space you can come up with all _sorts_ of creative ideas."

"Caitlin!"

"Oh c'mon, Em, we both know she will."

I felt myself blushing and stepped away from Cait to hug Emily.

"You _do_ have a strangely large flat though-"

"And strange friends - some bloke kept asking me ifI had anything to plug into the wall-" Caitlin interrupted, looking uncertainly at Mr. Weasley who still seemed enthralled with my toaster.

"I was sure people were going to spill out into the hallways when I heard how many were coming!"

I didn't have an easy response to Em's comment so I chose to say something to Caitlininstead.

"It's not like that, Cait, Siri's just a friend."

She snorted. "_Sure_, and I'm the Queen of England."

Em and I both rolled our eyes at our friend's antics and it wasn't until they were both almost at the stairs before Cait called back again.

"Use protection, Hermione! Don't want an unplanned pregnancy on your birthday!"

"_Caitlin Rose Glentworth_!"

"Lighten _up_, Em!"

I smiled, listening to my last muggle friends bickering down the hallway, and turned to the Weasley's who were leaving next.

"Bye Mrs. Weasley, Mr. Weasley."

"Good-bye, dear. Happy birthday again, Hermione."

I suffered through another of Mrs. Weasley's suffocating hugs before the twins were on me.

"Happy birthday-"

"Dear Hermione-"

"We're sure you'll like our present-"

"It's special from our brand new line of products!"

"Let us know-"

"If you have strange side effects to anything-"

"So we can put warning labels on them-"

"_Before_ we go into mass production."

"Er, sure." As the twins waved and followed their parents down the hall I made a mental note to avoid whatever they'd gotten me.

"Happy birthday, Hermione."

"Thanks, Bill."

He softly kissed my forehead before grinning and heading off. Charlie gave me a hug as did Penelope Clearwater while Percy simply shook my hand and told me that his gift was an invitation to an exclusive exhibition on cauldrons and that if I couldn't make it could I please tell him as soon as possible so that he could give someone else the invite. Apparently, they were very hard to come by. I told him I would before hugging Ron who held me just a longer than comfortable and made me promise to meet up with him and Harry for lunch at the Leaky Cauldron sometime.

"Oy! Harry!"

"Oh! Right!" Harry, blushing, hurried up and gave me a quick hug. "Happy birthday, 'Mione. See you later, Luna?"

"Yes. Later, Harry. Good-bye, Hermione, I hope you had an enjoyable birthday despite it being in the midst of Lornacg season."

"Er, yes, I did Luna, thank you."

I said good-bye to Remy next and watched him head off with Tonks, smiling. Then there was Kingsley and Hestia, Kyle, Amanda and Thea from my classes at the Academy, Hannah Abbot, Mandy Brocklehurst, Ernie Macmillan and Su Li - who tearfully made me promise to owl her again. Nameless Order members passed until Ginny, who grinned at me as she left with Wayne Hopkins. More of my old Hogwarts friends left until Sirius, Drake and I were the only ones still there. Lyanne and Patrick were staring wide-eyed from across the hall.

"You fit _all _those people in your flat!"

The three of us exchanged a look before I answered Lyanne's question.

"Er, yeah, it was, um, pretty cramped."

"I can imagine!"

"Well, I'm off, bye Black. Happy birthday again, Mya."

I hugged Drake before he waved and headed off up the stairs to his own flat. The Davidsons were still staring at the doorway, as if trying to figure out how all of my friends, classmates and family had managed to fit into a flat that they knew wasn't any bigger than theirs.

"Well, er, good night, Lyanne, Patrick."

"Good night, Mya, Sirius."

Sirius nodded at Patrick before they turned and entered their flat and I shut my door with a sigh of relief. Sirius grinned at me and grabbed my hand.

"Come on, you haven't opened your present from me yet."

He pulled me into the kitchen where un-opened presents were still stacked on the small table. He chose a slightly small present wrapped in blue with a green bow and cheerfully handed it to me.

"Go on."

"Er, alright." I slowly unwrapped the present and pulled off the top of the box to find...

"You got me, er, a model of a couch?"

I pulled out the doll-size couch and looked at it closer...was that really? Yes, there was the strawberry-cake stain on the left arm rest that was on 'our couch' at Grimmauld Place. And there was the rip on the back coushion where Sirius as Padfoot had accidentally ripped the sofa.

Sirius rolled his eyes at me before pulling the mini-couch out of my hands and setting it back down on the floor in the study.

"Honestly, 'Mione, are you a witch or not? _Engorgio_!"

There was our couch - the same exact one as at Grimmauld Place, stains, scratches and all - standing life-size in my study. I think I might've screamed before I jumped into Sirius' arms.

"I _love_ it! _Argh_! You're the _greatest_, Siri!"

He laughed at my energetic hug.

"Thanks, Mya, I love you too."

I ran over to the couch and leapt on it, immediately settling down on 'my side' and looking expectantly up at Sirius.

"You _did_ bring hot chocolate, didn't you?"

He laughed at me again and kissed my forehead before disappearing back into the kitchen. I couldn't help comparing his kiss to Bill's and thinking that, somehow, Sirius' felt _right_ in a way Bill's didn't. I forced myself to shake the thought off and tried concentrating on what Sirius was saying.

"Erm, yeah, the wizarding hot chocolate packets are in the cupboard right above the stove."

A few minutes later Sirius came back levitating two plates of birthday cake and two mugs of what was more than likely hot chocolate. It wasn't until I'd plucked a plate and mug from the air and drank my first sip of hot chocolate that I realized what Sirius had forgotten.

"Damn."

It seemed he'd realized too at the same time. Pulling my wand out of my sleeve pocket I smiled at him.

"_Accio_ forks."

Smiling sheepishly he took one of the forks as they zoomed towards me.

"Well, a bloke can't be expected to remember _everything_," he defended.

"Uh huh, sure Siri, _I_ didn't say anything."

The look Sirius was giving me as I ate my first forkful of cake made me nervous, the slow grin certainly didn't help either.

"Oh, _really_?"

I simply grinned and stuck my tongue out at him.

"_Exsilium_!"

I barely had time to realize that Sirius had cast a banishment charm and that my cake and hot chocolate were gone before he was on me and tickling me. I immediately started to laugh uncontrollably.

"_Ah_! Sirius! _Don't_!"

* * *

"Ron-" 

"Yes, Hermione, I know, I won't forget."

"Great!"

I smiled at my friend as he rolled his eyes at me.

"Thanks, Ron, I owe you!"

"Yeah, yeah, just head on down to the club."

With Harry's help I'd organized a combined late-birthday-early-Halloween party on the 30th of October at a wizarding club right off Diagon Alley. The plan was for Ron to keep an eye out for Sirius and stall him until we were completely ready in case he showed up early. Wrapping my cloak tighter around myself in protection of the brisk wind I headed off down the street towards Dragon Fever where we were holding the party. As soon as I stepped into the building I heard a panicked voice calling out my name.

"Mya!"

I turned to see Diana Gudgeon hurrying towards me.

"Mya - My - it's horrible - there's just _no way_ - I just-"

"Di, relax."

It shook me up more than I cared to admit to see the normally so put together Diana in such a nervous mood.

"Now, tell me what's wrong."

"He - you - your - oh, Merlin, your freckled friend, what's-his-name-"

"Ron?"

"That's the one. He says Sirius' already there and he doesn't know how long he can hold him off. There's _no way _we can get everything done!"

No way,no way, no way...No matter how frantically I tried to think of a solution Diana's words kept echoing in my mind and I knew she was right. Dragon Fever was only a few minutes - four or five tops - walking away from the Leaky Cauldron and, looking around at the club, there was just _no way_ that everything could still get done in that amount of time...but we could _pretend_ everything was done...

"What're we gonna _do_!"

"Di, I need you to relax, alright? And I want you to go and ncast Obscuring Charms on all the places we haven't reached with decorating spells yet, alright?"

She nodded and rushed off to the back of the club that we hadn't gotten to.

"Mya!"

I turned to see Not-So-Quiet-Tim calling for me from next to a fireplace with Ron's head sticking out.

"He's coming!"

"_Shit_! Okay, everyone, listen up!"

I had to whistle shrilly before I could get everybody's attention.

"He's coming!"

Just those two words set into motion a frenzy of action. Banners, balloons, a cakeand other birthday decorations were cast temporarily invisible, presents were hidden, Halloween masks were donned and someone started playing music. Not a moment too soon either - in under thirty seconds Sirius was entering what seemed to him to be a normal Halloween party at a normal club.

"Siri! C'mon!"

He grinned at me as I pulled him to the middle of the dance floor, being careful to skirt around the area where I knew his cake was temporarily invisible. We hadn't even started dancing when a voice came on the wizarding wireless system.

"Welcome, witches and wizards, to _Dragon Fever's Halloween Extravaganza_!"

The masked celebrants cheered and the voice paused for a second before continuing.

"I hope you're all having as much fun as I know I am. And now, let's kick off our hour of requests! First off is Status Quo's _Rockin' All Over The World_ from Miss Mya Taite to Mister Sirius Black!"

There were more cheers and Sirius laughed at me as the first song we'd ever danced to together back in the 1970s started playing.

"_Oh here we are and here we are and here we go. All aboard and we're hittin' the road. Here we go. Rockin' all over the world."_

Too soon the song was over and the same voice was back on the wizarding wireless system.

"And the second song of the hour, also dedicated to a seemingly _very_ popular Mister Black, is...happy birthday!"

Masks were thrown off as everyone started cheering and singing happy birthday as loud as they could. The banners and balloons re-appeared while Sirius stood in the middle of the room looking simply stunned. Even when the cake was revealed right next to him he didn't move. Soon, everybody was laughing at his reaction and I couldn't help but lean up to give him a hug and kiss his cheek.

"Surprised, Siri darling?" I asked him teasingly.

It seemed to shake him out of his shock because he smiled down at me.

"Yes, very."

I didn't get anymore warning than that before he picked me up and spun me around.

"_Ah_!"

"Surprised, Mya darling?" He mocked.

I hit him on the shoulder before parroting back, "yes, very."

Diana came up and uncharacteristically begged Sirius for a dance, motioning me towards the back of the club covered by Obscuring Charms and bare of decorations. I smiled at her and kissed Sirius' cheek one last time before wishing him a happy birthday and slipping away. The decoration charms took less time than I expected so I ended up spending a few hours just watching Sirius have fun and dance with a seemingly endless line of women. Smiling, I couldn't help but think about yesterday, which had actually been his birthday.

_I'd spent an entire, **extremely** frustrating, afternoon **attempting** to make Sirius' favorite meal - a strange combination of American hamburgers cooked rare and spaghetti noodles - before figuring that, really, it was the thought that counted and ordering it from a wizarding delivery place would be about the same thing. Pulling a muggle coat on I headed down the stairs of my apartment building and outside where I hid in an alley before Apparating straight to **Wizzily Speedy Food Deliveries**. It only took a few minutes to place the order and arrange for the delivery to be at 6:30 pm; soon enough, I was Apparating back to the same dingy alley and heading up to my flat._

_An hour later Sirius showed up and two hours after that our food did. He grinned widely at my blushing and stammered explanation that I had **tried** to cook, I really had, it just hadn't turned out so well. On the positive side, I **had** been able to properly make and frost a cake. We talked and laughed and soon were already on dessert. Somehow, we both ended up on our couch, cake in hand, laughing so hard we had to lean against one another. It didn't take too long to finish our cake and we sat for a while in a comfortable silence. It had been a nice way to celebrate a birthday, just staying at home and talking, laughing and eating with just your best friend. Out of nowhere, though, I had the strangest desire to say something._

_"I'm sorry, Siri, I keep meaning to get a second bed for you but never get around to it. I feel bad that you're always stuck sleeping on this old thing whenever you spend the night."_

_When I didn't hear a response I turned and realized just why Sirius had been so quiet - he was already asleep. I could've - should've - left him to sleep on the couch but I felt bad that he had to, especially on his birthday. Sighing and cursing my own foolishness I carefully levitated him into my bedroom and on to my bed. I smiled at him and went to pull the blankets up to his shoulders. As I was pulling away, however, Sirius somehow grasped on to my wrist and wouldn't let go. I waited for a few moments, gently tugging, to see if his grip would loosen any. It didn't and, figuring I'd probably end up stuck like this for a while longer, I slowly laid down, promising myself that I'd just rest my eyes for a bit until he let go and wouldn't actually fall asleep. I couldn't help it, it was just too warm and comfortable._

"Hermione."

A hand on my shoulder pulled me from my memories and I turned around and smiled up at Sirius.

"Hey, birthday boy, enjoying your party?"

"Yeah, I was, but I'm kinda tired now. Mind if we bow out early and head home?"

"'Course not, it _is_ your party after all, but why do you need me to help you home?" I frowned slightly, trying to puzzle out if Sirius expected me to go back to Grimmauld Place with him for some reason.

He smiled at me. "Not Grimmauld, Hermione. I hate it there, you know that. It's like a dog house or worse. Home is your flat."

I couldn't help but smile back at that and stood up.

"Alright."

We weaved our way back through the still-dancing crowd and to the front of the club. Night had fallen and the wind had picked up, neither of us wasted any time Apparating back to the alley next to my apartment building. Even inside we shivered all the way up to my flat. Gettingin, I grabbed a pair of pajamas and headed into my bathroom to change. When I came back out it was to Sirius sitting cross-legged on my bed.

"I've decided."

I raised an eyebrow, "decided what?"

"Well, today I had a birthday party, right? So, it's kinda like my birthday...so I get the comfy bed again!"

I laughed at him but didn't argue with his logic.

"Alright."

I kissed his forehead and headed out for the sofa.

"Good night, then."

"Hey! Wait!"

He seemed confused.

"Where are you going?"

Now it was _my_ turn to be confused.

"Well, to the sofa...where else would I be going?"

He rolled his eyes at me.

"Oh, c'mon Mione, I'm not gonna completely steal your bed from you."

Was he actually suggesting...? I approached the bed hesitantly.

"Are you sure?"

"Really, My, I don't bite unless asked very nicely."

He grinned and managed to jerk me on to the bed by my wrist. "Silly, silly Mya." He kissed my temple before spelling the lights off.

"Good night."

"'Night."

I couldn't help but think that the warmth emanating from Sirius laying next to me seemed to make the bed infinitely more comforting. I tried to shake the thought off before finally succumbing to sleep.


	20. 19:Moonshine & Sunlight

Eulogizing Memoirs

Amelie Rae Lanhoss

**[A/N-I have no excuse that's fitting as to why it's taken me so long to finish this chapter (a good chunk of it's been written for about a year now) and the closest thing to an explanation I can offer is this: the past has an awful way of sneaking up on you and sucker-punching you when you least expect it. Something I thought I was almost done with, it turns out, wasn't anywhere near to being done with me. I had something of a relapse, only this time I didn't have friends surrounding me and I didn't have anyone pushing me to keep moving. I'm so sorry to everyone who has waited for this so long. Written for those who have stuck around and, in loving memory always, for K.M.L., without further ado, here is Chapter 19.**

**-C.R.C.**

Chapter 19-Moonshine & Sunlight

_So if you want to talk the night through, guess who will be there._

I fully blame Remus. Although, really, I suppose it was Mr. Weasley who brought it up first. I love Mr. Weasley like a second father but for the life of me I will never understand some of the crazy ideas he has about muggles or where he gets them. Who, for example, told him about karaoke (or "carry-a-key," as he called it)? And what insane force possessed him to think it would be a fun way for the Order to burn off stress? But really, it's Rem's fault. Mr. Weasley may have planted the idea in Sirius' head but Remus, characteristically calm and level-headed Remus, actually encouraged him! Of course, once someone had confirmed that the idea was brilliant, Sirius couldn't leave it alone. As I, according to him, have no other friends or even a semblance of a social life – God forbid he remember I'm _in training_ most of my days – he dragged me along! He had the nerve to literally pick me up, put me on his motorbike and drive up to this muggle karaoke bar where Remus, Harry, Ron and a few others were already waiting. And then he just _had _to sing! Sing this stupid muggle song by Del Amitri that I hadn't heard since the summer after fourth year!

It's because Sirius spent way too much of the time he was singing it looking at me that now I can't get it out of my head. I _need_ to get this stupid song out of my head or I'll _never_ be able to concentrate enough to study anything of value for my mediwizardry classes. It's all Remus' fault. Without his encouragement…well, actually, Sirius would've probably ignored his opinion and done the exact same thing, but…it's Sirius. I don't know how or when but somewhere in the course of our friendship I've forgotten how to stay mad at him. Therefore, my lack of concentration is entirely Remus' fault. The worst part is, to my sleep-deprived brain that kind of logic is starting to seem perfectly rational. I can't help but groan aloud in my small, empty flat (I really should pick Crookshanks up from my parents' house).

It's entirely Remus' fault that I'm putting a jacket on over my pajamas, leaving my flat in the wee hours of the morning and heading to Grimmauld Place. I duck into the first alley I come to and Apparate, wondering why I didn't just do so from inside my relatively warm flat (which would've saved me a jacket and a short walk) and finding myself on the front stoop of Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Pulling the key spell from my memory I unlock the door and slowly push it open as silently as possible. I creep up the stairs and immediately headed towards Sirius' bedroom, all the while telling myself that this is insane. It was just a song and meant absolutely nothing despite the fact that it now has me questioning all my choices. Alright, so now I'm exaggerating and being dramatic, it's not my fault Ron's habits are rubbing off on me after over seven years.

_Look around your world pretty baby, is it everything you hoped it'd be? The wrong guy, the wrong situation. The right time, to roll to me._

This is crazy, complete and utter madness. There's no rational explanation as to why I'm opening Sirius' bedroom door in the middle of the night and actually considering waking him up. He's sleeping. _Duh, Hermione._ I sigh and turn to go back home, chanting, "stupid, stupid, _stupid_ 'Mione."

"Hermione?"

I froze at the groggy sound of Sirius' voice behind me. I should've remembered, he's been a pretty light sleeper since Azkaban.

"Mya? What're you doing?"

"Sorry, Sirius, I didn't mean to wake you up. I'll just go now so you can get back to sleep."

"Don't be stupid, My." I turn at the sound of him shifting in his bed to see him sitting up. He pats the empty spot next to him before asking, "now come on, what's wrong? What got you all the way over here in your pajamas at…a little after three in the morning?"

I can't help but drift closer to the bed until I'm standing next to it. "I'm sorry Sirius, I didn't mean to wake you. It's…nothing. Just a silly little…nothing."

Even in the dim moonlight I can tell he's rolling his eyes before he pats the empty space again. "c'mon, sit and stop lying. Now, tell me what's wrong."

I shrug out of my jacket and kick off the shoes I don't even remember putting on before crawling into his bed and sitting with my back against the headboard next to him. We sit in a comfortable silence for a few minutes before I start talking. "I'm not even sure if we're really dating or not."

"_What_!?"

I turn to look at Sirius after is outburst. "Anthony and I."

"Oh."

"I mean, we've eaten together at restaurants, we've talked and debated over almost everything and we've gone to lectures and the library and…"

"And," Sirius prompted me.

"I'm pretty sure that Anthony considers us together…but…"

"But…" Sirius teased me. I smiled back at him.

"But I've done the same things with Harry, Ron and you but I'm not dating any of you and I never have and…"

"And?"

"And I'm not really sure I know what I'm doing anymore." I would've made no such admission to anyone other than my best friend. Anyone other than my best friend would've been shocked speechless to hear me – _me_! – admitting that I wasn't fully confident in every aspect of my life and that I _didn't_ have all of the answers. My best friend just wrapped an arm around me and let me lean my head on his shoulder. Sirius pressed a kiss to my temple before tugging me even closer.

"Everyone has times when they don't know what they're doing," he chuckled lowly, "I think you need a lot of energy to deal with those times," somewhere along the way he'd laid down again and dragged me down with him. He kissed my forehead again. "So sleep."

I easily burrowed into his warmth and took his advice, closing my eyes. Though my mind soon went hazy and foggy with oncoming sleep, I could've sworn I heard Sirius still whispering.

"So if you want to talk the night through, _guess who will be there_."

* * *

"Sirius? I'm leaving in, like, two seconds – you won't forget to feed Crookshanks, will you?"

"'Course not, Mya, I'll take care of him." He made a shooing motion with his hand. "Go on, now or you'll be late for your date with Anthony."

Since the night at Grimmauld Place when I'd told Sirius I wasn't sure what I was doing, he'd been relatively supportive of the possible relationship between Anthony and I. Of course, relatively only means that he insults him less and hasn't tried drugging me to keep me at home again. I think the fact that my maybe-dates with Anthony have all been to places Sirius would find boring as hell has probably helped too. Tonight, for example, we're going to a lecture by Professor Regulus Moonshine – a well-known Potions Master who specializes in healing potions. Uninteresting, maybe, to Sirius but fascinating to Anthony and I who are both studying mediwizardry.

"Try and have fun, even though it's probably impossible at that thing."

"Ha, ha, ha, Sirius. You're hilarious."

"Well, really, Mya – isn't this like going to extra lessons or –" he shuddered, "_detention_ _willingly_?"

"Not at all," I told him firmly, "it's more than just a lecture – there's going to be a question and answer session afterwards too. Professor Moonshine is brilliant and has spent _years_ researching healing potions. We'll get to learn so much –"

"Yeah, sorry, Mya, but you lost me at 'lecture' and definitely didn't win me back at 'learn.'"

I looked at him, exasperated, "did you catch the part where I said it's _more_ than just a lecture? Having the opportunity to actually ask Professor Moonshine questions in person is incredible and hearing his answers first-hand will be riveting. I can't believe –"

"I can't believe you're still trying, Hermione, darling," he interrupted me and placed both of his hands on my shoulders before spinning me around and pushing me towards the door. "I'm sorry but if you try to convince me you'll be missing your 'riveting' answer and question thing and –"

"Question and answer session."

"And it _would_ make more sense in that order –"

He was interrupted by a popping sound as Anthony apparated into the front room.

"Just go have fun."

Anthony looked somewhat surprised to see Sirius there.

"Ah…am I…interrupting something? Are you ready to go Hermione?"

"Yes, she is," Sirius answered for me.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Thanks, Sirius, because I couldn't _possibly _have answered for myself."

He grinned cheekily. "You're welcome, Mya. Now, go, you have fun –" he pressed a quick kiss to my temple – "and I'll feed the cat."

I smiled back at him even as I took Anthony's hand and prepared to apparate out, "thank you, Siri."

The next sight I saw was the bustling Claudius Ptolemy Conference & Convention Center. Anthony – still grasping my hand – tugged me through the crowd until we reached a door with a sign flashing 'Helping & Healing Through Potions: Lecture by Renowned Professor R. A. Moonshine' and I handed our tickets – my birthday present – to the attendant. Still not letting go of my hand, Anthony led us to our seats. He kept hold of my hand as the room filled up around us until it grew – to me anyways – somewhat awkward. He still held it and didn't speak until it looked like every seat in the room had been taken.

"Hermione?"

"Yes?"

"May I…I realize it's not really any of my business, but, may I ask…does Sirius live with you?"

He seemed tense, waiting. I couldn't believe it – was that _really_ the reason he'd practically kept a death grip on my hand since he'd first shown up at my apartment? I almost laughed. "No, no he doesn't. He's my best friend, that doesn't mean he lives with me. Sure, he comes over a lot but that just means he's my best friend." Clearly this was the right answer – or, at least, the answer he had been hoping for – because Anthony seemed to relax and his grip loosened some as he turned towards me and gave me a brief smile before the professor walked out onto the platform.

But he didn't let go of my hand.

* * *

Nearly three hours later – after a late supper with Anthony at a nearby restaurant and lots of unexpected hand-holding – I apparated back to my flat alone to find it dark and seemingly empty.

"_Lumos_," I paused, "Sirius? Where are you?" I smiled, remembering meeting Professor Moonshine after the lecture and sing-songed, "I have ne-ews!" I paused again before continuing, "I met Professor Moonshine and after we talked – guess what! He's invited me on a tour of his labs at Glover Hipworth with a few other students!"

My only answer was a grumpy '_mrow_' from Crookshanks, relaxing next to his empty water bowl. I laughed at him and bent down to pick up both the bowl and the folded white paper magically taped to his collar. I placed his water bowl under the faucet, filling it up and returning it to my cat before heading towards my room and unfolding the note.

_Hey My,_

_Fed your little monster but every time I tried to get close enough to grab his water bowl he started hissing at me – even scratched me once! So I turned into Padfoot and tried to explain that I only wanted his water bowl to fill it up and give it right back and that I wouldn't touch his food bowl. He didn't believe me and chased me around the flat until I turned back (I had to reparo that new lamp in your room). So if that little monster thirsts to death (is there such a thing?) it's entirely not my fault – I tried and ended up with painful bodily injuries thanks to my trying._

_Anyways, I'm taking you out to lunch Thursday. Percy Weasley came by asking for you and when I told him you weren't here he asked if you could meet him for lunch on Thursday to "discuss important matters". I was going to tell him where he could shove his important matters but he got all shifty after that and now I'm actually curious to know what they are. So, if he asks next week, I take you out to lunch every Thursday and it's a prior commitment you can't get out of. I hope you had "fun" learning (yuck) tonight. I didn't know if you were going to bring Anthony home so I'm off to spend the night at Grimmauld to avoid any possible awkwardness. I'll see you tomorrow._

_Love you-_

_S_

I couldn't help but smile at the mental image of huge, black Padfoot being chased by tiny – in comparison – ginger-colored Crookshanks. I folded the note back up and left it on my nightstand next to the currently unmarked reading lamp before getting ready to sleep.

* * *

"Trainee Granger! You're on lunch break, get outta here!"

"Oh, er, I usually work through lunch, Healer Bartleby."

No one had ever told me I wasn't allowed to and I'd even been praised by some of our supervising Healers but I wasn't sure if the Floor Supervisor had known. Honestly, I was a little intimidated by her – she always seems to be yelling.

"Be that as it may, Trainee Granger, someone is waiting for you downstairs!"

Who?

"They are?" I was surprised.

"Some bloke said sumthin' 'bout 'prior commitments' – all I know is he's healthy and taking up space in my waiting room! Space someone sick should take up! So shoo! Take yer lunch break! Get outta here!"

_Crap_. Lunch with Percy and Sirius.

"Yes, Healer Bartleby."

Percy would want to make our lunch "meeting" as short as possible so there's no way he would've taken even _more_ time out of his work day to meet me out here where he'd probably expect me to be busy. Figures Sirius would expect me to be busy, like Percy, but, unlike Percy, would also realize the chances of me completely forgetting were pretty high. Although, in Percy's defense, he apparently thinks Sirius and I have lunch every Thursday now. I wonder what he wants to talk to me about, anyway.

Barely five minutes after being exiled by my Floor Supervisor I was in the waiting room, having already dropped off the charts I'd been carrying and switched from my neon orange trainee robes to plain black ones.

"Sorry, Sirius."

He was leaning back in one of the plastic chairs and grinned up at me when I got there.

"You forgot," he accused teasingly.

"No! No I didn't, I just…"

"Lost track of time?" he asked, still grinning.

"Well, yes. Also, I forgot," I hurriedly admitted.

He laughed as I tugged him impatiently out of his seat.

"Come _on_ let's not be late."

We apparated into one of the Apparition zones at Gringotts, narrowly avoiding a goblin. Exiting the wizarding bank, Sirius led me to the next building on our left, Antonio's Italian Cuisine. He stopped short at the doors and grinned at me.

"Wanna eat outside?"

What?!

"_Sirius_! It's _November_!"

"It's just the first, though."

"It's still _November_!"

And while it wasn't all _that_ cold with a jacket on I had no plans to keep my jacket on just to spend my short lunch break outside. Even if it was sunny. When's the last time I've actually had time to sit around outside in sunlight?

"Aw, c'mon, Mya…imagine Percy's face if he saw us waiting for him outside."

The offer of sunlight and annoying Percy _was_ tempting…

"Hermione. Sirius. It's so good to see a few punctual people still exist."

We spun around in unison just in time to see Percy striding past us into the small restaurant.

"Let's hurry and get a table, shall we? I hear this is quite a popular spot for lunch among my fellow Ministry employees."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the way he said "fellow Ministry employees" and exchanged a look with Sirius before we followed Percy in. The three of us had barely settled down at a small table inside before Percy cleared his throat imperiously and turned to me, actually looking somewhat nervous.

"Hermione…I have –" he cleared his throat again, this time a little less imperiously, "we do not know each other very well, I suppose. Not as well as you know some of my brothers at any rate. However, because you are, ah, close…to – to several of my siblings we have all come to think of you as family."

Um, where is this going? One look at Sirius tells me he doesn't know any more than I do, though he _does_ seem to find it pretty funny.

"Thank you, Percy." I think…what exactly am I thanking him for again?

"Yes, well…"

Is he actually _blushing_? He cleared his throat again. "As such I have a somewhat, er, _personal_ favor to ask of you…" He looked significantly at Sirius in a clear indication that whatever the "personal favor" was he didn't want to ask me in front of him. Sirius ignored his stare and looked at me with an amused smile on his face. Giving up, Percy turned back to me and cleared his throat a final time.

"Yes, well…tomorrow, as you are aware, my department is putting on an exclusive, invitation-only cauldron exhibition in the magical part of a muggle school called 'Oxford.' I left you an invitation as a present at your birthday party in September."

"Yes, I remember."

Did he set this up to ask for his invitation back or something? That's the only possible direction I'm coming up with.

"Do you need the invitation back for someone else?"

"No, no, of course not, the invitation is yours to do with as you wish."

Well. There goes that theory.

"My superior –" he cleared his throat nervously again, "my superior believes that it would make a better impression on the international academic community if the wizards – and witches, of course – responsible for the exhibition had, well…escorts, for lack of a better word, to show to our foreign friends that we lead well-balanced lives with an equilibrium between the amount of time we work and…er, well, 'play' was the word used. I believe it's some sort of derivative from a muggle proverb."

Sirius was practically choking he was laughing so hard. "Y-you mean – your boss told you to bring a date so you didn't look like a loser!"

"_Sirius_!" I admonished as Percy stiffly straightened his spine – which until then I hadn't thought possible.

"My superior _suggested_ our entire _department_ would better appear to lead well-balanced lives if we arrived escorted!"

Sirius was still shaking with laughter as he gasped out, "escorts! Your department's all losers!"

Percy's ears were bright red and he looked ready to explode when I cut in.

"Percy! Would you like me to attend the, er, cauldron exhibit tomorrow night as your, um, escort?"

He turned back to me even as Sirius stayed hunched over shaking.

"I would see it as a great personal favor if you could, Hermione. You are like part of our family, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered you with this. However, I'd hoped that, as a sort of surrogate sibling you might be willing to help me out of my quandary."

At the surrogate sibling comment, Sirius managed to gasp out something that sounded suspiciously like "taking your cousin to prom."

"Of course, I'll help you, Percy." As if I could say no after Sirius has made fun of him like this when it's obvious how nervous he was about asking.

"Thank you, Hermione. I appreciate your help very much."

He studiously avoided looking at Sirius trying to catch his breath by instead searching for our waitress. I, on the other hand, had no problem glaring at Sirius until the perky blonde witch showed up.

"Hello! Welcome to Antonio's Italian Cuisine, where the food is so magical your taste buds will feel like they're flying on Firebolts! On behalf of our lawyers I would like to remind you at this time that we stake no actual proprietary claim on the Firebolt name. Would you like to hear a list of our specials today?"

* * *

I apparated into my front room to see Sirius and Remus drinking and laughing as they sat on my couch – well, technically Siri's couch since it had come from Grimmauld Place but he _had_ given it to me for my birthday. Sirius was the first to notice me and he grinned.

"Hey, Mya, how was your hot date?"

I glared at his teasing. "Not funny."

Remus looked a little surprised, "I thought you got on well with Anthony."

Sirius started laughing again, not stopping even when Remus threw him a confused look.

I sighed as I stepped out of my high heels and barefoot onto the wood floor. I let Sirius tell Remus about our lunch with Percy and my subsequent "date" while I headed to the kitchen to get something to drink. I stood at the sink, running tap water into a glass, and allowed myself a small smile at the sound of their renewed laughter. When Remus saw me re-enter the room he abruptly stopped and attempted to assume a somber expression.

"Oh. No, Sirius, that's not funny at all. Mya, I in no way agree with him about thin cauldron bottoms being a sexy topic of discussion for a first date."

I sighed. "Remus, I've just spent three hours with Percy Weasley at an exhibit about the dangers of shoddy cauldron craftsmanship. Go ahead and laugh."

He promptly did just that. "_Three hours_?"

"Three. Long. Excruciating. Hours. And then he apologized to me!"

"Be-because it was so long?"

"Because it was short!"

Sirius stopped laughing long enough to ask, "how did he figure three hours to be short?"

I nudged him to indicate he should scoot down the couch towards Remus and sat with my feet in his lap before answering. "Apparently, the exhibits usually last between four and six hours. He said he was sorry my first 'exhibition experience' was 'disappointingly short.'"

They both started laughing again. It was Remus who stopped first and asked, "was there a reason it was so, er, short?"

"You mean besides the fact that I've clearly got some sort of guardian angel looking out for me? Yeah, there was a muggle fireworks display in a nearby park. To get the permits to put up the exhibition tonight, they had to promise everyone would leave a few hours before the muggles started coming for _their_ thing."

"Fireworks?" Sirius perked up, "we should go!"

"It's night, November and raining."

"So?"

"So! Siri! I'm not going!"

"Okay, first off, it's not like they could put on fireworks during the day, or rather, it wouldn't be worth it to see them in sunlight, second, wear a coat if you think you'll be cold and thirdly, are you a witch or aren't you? Actually, aren't _you_ the one who always does the rain-repelling charm on Harry's glasses? C'mon, My, it'll be fun!"

Remus made to stand up. "If you guys are going out I'm just gonna head home."

"'Bye, Moony."

"Good night, Remus."

"'Night Padfoot, Mya."

With that he disapparated and Sirius slid further down the couch to lean against the opposite armrest and bring his feet up to meet mine in the center of our couch.

"So when do we leave?"

I raised my eyebrows at him. "You seriously want to go?"

"Yeah, why not? C'mon."

He stood and tugged me up next to him. "Why not? Um, because it's night, November and raining? I vaguely recall saying that earlier."

"Silly, Mya." He threw an arm around my shoulders and apparated both of us to an empty room and grabbed my hand, leading me out of the convention center. "So, where do we go from here?"

I silently pointed towards the South Parks where a bonfire was struggling in the wet and growing dampness. Sirius started tugging on my hand again. "How did you even know where the convention center _was_?" I asked him.

"Remus dragged us all with him here a long time ago when there was a research and development potions exhibit. He met Damocles Belby, who at the time was working on developing a cure for lycanthropy. Ended up with just the Wolfsbane potion years later, which is still better than what was available before."

"Oh. Sirius!" Stepping on the cold, wet grass reminded me I was still barefoot and I stopped walking. "Siri, it's raining and I have no shoes on."

He sighed and shook his head, taking his wand out. "Impervius." I immediately stopped feeling raindrops fall on me and watched as he did the same to himself. He looked at me with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "As for the second thing…"

"Ah! Sirius!"

Carrying me, he continued up the short hill to where a small group of people were gathered. Almost immediately, the fireworks started – streaking through the night sky like brief rays of sunlight.

"See, Mya? Isn't this worth it?"

I stuck my tongue out at him. "It's pretty enough, I suppose."

He laughed. "I'll take it." Shifting me slightly, "my hands are kinda full – think you can dry a patch of grass for us to sit on without the muggles noticing?"

"I don't know," I teased him, "I'm pretty dry and comfortable right here."

"Mya." He looked down at me seriously. "I will drop you."

I rolled my eyes and sighed dramatically before I surreptitiously cast a drying charm, hiding my wand between our bodies. "Fine. Done."

"Thank you, dear," he said, setting me down on my feet.

I sat and looked up at him. "_Don't_ call me 'dear.'"

He laughed and sat next to me before he slung an arm around my shoulders. "Dear, dear, _dear_ Mya."

I stuck my tongue out at him again and listened to him laughing as we both turned our gazes upwards to the brightly colored illuminations shooting through the night sky.


	21. 20:Holidays

Eulogizing Memoirs

Amelie Rae Lanhoss

**A/N- I love summer – and while I **_**would**_** rather spend it at home hanging around the house with my cousins all day, spending it here and writing isn't so bad either. (I'm not sure what's happened to my creative drive recently but suddenly I've got a long list of fics I can't wait to work on). Anyways, thanks so much to everyone who stuck around and reviewed the last chapter. Dedicated to R-E-B-E-C for the very kind words and, as always, in loving memory to K.M.L.**

**-C.R.C.**

Chapter 20-Holidays

"Good bye, Hermione."

"Bye Thea, Amanda, happy Christmas. I'll see you tomorrow, Kyle."

"Bye, Hermione. Happy Christmas."

"Sure, Granger, see you then."

I waved to the three friends I had made early on in the healer training program and wrapped my scarf tighter around my neck before pushing open the main hospital doors. Shivering in the winter wind I headed down the slushy street. I generally liked the walk between St. Mungo's and my flat but when it's freezing like this and the slush on the ground is more dirt than snow – which never takes long in the city – it's a lot less fun.

"Hermione!"

I turned around to see Anthony hurrying out of the Purge and Dowse, Ltd. window and barreling straight into two muggles who seemed confused at where he had suddenly come from.

I waited until he'd caught up to me before asking him if anything was wrong.

"No, I just thought I'd walk you back to your flat."

"Oh. That's really nice of you, Anthony, but, um…" I looked around and couldn't see any other muggles besides the two who were already pretty far away and getting further. "Actually, it's so cold I was just thinking of apparating home. I'm sorry, Anthony."

"Oh, of course. It is rather cold. Um, are you working tomorrow?"

"Yes. Kyle and I are covering the Dai Llewellyn ward."

"Under Head Healer Smethwyck?"

"No. With Augustus."

He frowned and I shifted from foot to foot, trying to keep warm and wondering about the conversation.

"Augustus?"

I smiled despite the temperature. Augustus Pye had been Mr. Weasley's healer three years ago and the two were very similar in one aspect: they were both pureblood wizards with an affection for adding muggle techniques in their work. He had been excited to learn that I was not only a muggleborn but also that I spoke with Mr. Weasley on a fairly regular basis. He'd told me that Mr. Weasley was the only pureblood wizard he had ever met who was as excited about trying out muggle methods as he was. After I'd re-introduced the two they grew to be fast friends and Augustus became a frequent visitor at the Burrow. He also became the only supervising healer I called by their first name.

"Healer Pye. He's…something of a family friend."

"I see." He paused before asking, "well, when do you finish tomorrow? I was thinking that, perhaps, you'd like to come have Christmas supper with me at my parents' house."

Oh. Wow. What am I supposed to say to that? Do I even _want_ to meet his parents? Isn't that kind of a big relationship step? I should ask Sirius, he'll probably know. Although I guess Anthony's already met my parents at my birthday party…what am I thinking?! The Weasleys!

"I'm sorry, Anthony, I already promised the Weasleys I'd eat with them." Plus we're exchanging gifts afterwards. I _definitely_ don't want to miss that just because I'm with him.

"Well, what about Boxing Day?"

"I'm sorry, Anthony," I repeated, feeling like a broken record, "I promised my mother I'd go shopping with her since I won't be at my parents' on Christmas Day."

"Today, then?" He asked. "It's still early, we can grab a quick lunch, if you'd like. Or we could meet up after work tonight." I just stared at him.

"It's Thursday." It was his turn to just stare at me.

"Yes? And?"

I shook my head with a half smile. "I kind of have a standing lunch date with Sirius on Thursdays." I ignored his offer of meeting after work and decided not to tell him I was taking the afternoon off to help Sirius with his Christmas shopping – I swear, only Sirius could talk me into quitting work early to _shop_. Although I really am curious if I can figure out what he's planning on getting me.

"Listen, Anthony, I have to get going or I'll be late to meet Sirius. I'll see you again after the holidays, alright?"

He looked disappointed. "Yes, of course, alright."

I waved once and disapparated.

"God rest ye merry hippogriffs, fear not this Christmas day!"

"I'm home!" I grinned and called out, following the sound of Sirius' singing from the front room to the kitchen. "Why didn't you come and remind me about lunch? Are you _cooking_?" I asked him incredulously.

"Don't look so surprised, Miss Mya." He flicked my nose as he passed by me holding a plate of sausage. "I _do_ know something about cooking – and I didn't realize you still needed me as a lunch reminder."

"I don't, I'm just used to it," I answered him absentmindedly, spotting the colorful and whipped-cream-topped dessert still sitting on the counter. "Oh my god, Sirius, if you really made trifle I swear I'll love you forever."

He laughed at me. "I bought it, actually. C'mon," he tugged me over to our tiny table, "it's for _after_ we eat."

"Yum!"

He laughed at me again. "And after we shop!"

"Yuck." I wrinkled my nose. "You're a guy, Siri, aren't you supposed to hate shopping even more than me?"

"You can't fool me, Mya. You _want_ to go shopping with me even if it's only because you think I'll pick up your present while you're with me."

"Will you?" I asked him curiously.

He grinned, "eat your chipolatas," and refused to answer.

* * *

"Hey, Mya." 

I glared over my butterbeer at a grinning Sirius.

"Aw, c'mon, Mya, you can't be _that_ mad." He said, flopping down next to me on the couch as the rest of the Weasley-filled room chattered and laughed, enjoying the festive atmosphere before supper.

I could _not_ believe him and didn't stop glaring, instead, ticking off offenses on my fingers.

"First, you talk me into taking an afternoon off from work, _supposedly_ so I can help you pick out Christmas presents. Second, you drag me in and out of stores for _three hours_ before we – _what_ a surprise – just _happen_ to run into Ginny! When you, thirdly, told her I was great at giving gift suggestions – which, by the way, I'm _not_," it seemed like the madder I got the funnier he found it, "and then you just _left_ me with her!" I practically hissed, "you left me with her in a _shopping_ mood!"

He looked _too_ innocent. "Oops. Did I really do all that?"

"Sirius!" I groaned. "She wanted a sleepover! You know what that means? It means I stayed up very late last night despite having to be up very early for work this morning and I'm going to be stuck staying up late again tonight when my mother expects me bright and early tomorrow morning for more _shopping_!"

He laughed at me – he actually laughed!

"Mya, you're the only woman I know who can make 'shopping' sound like a curse."

"Sirius! Were you even listening to me!?"

"Yes," he answered, slinging his arm around me and pulling so my head rested on his shoulder. "And mostly what I got was that you're a workaholic who spends her holidays at her job."

"All the trainee healers work holidays so the senior healers can have them off – it's called paying our dues. In a few years I'll get Christmas Eve, Day and Boxing Day off like the others. As it is I'm lucky I pulled the day shift and not the night shift."

I wanted desperately to be mad at him for stranding me with Ginny, who loves shopping even more than she loves Quidditch. But, well, his shoulder was soft and I'd just finished a twelve hour shift on four hours of sleep…

* * *

I woke groggily when my pillow laughed uproariously and moved on its own. No, not my pillow. Sirius. Christmas at the Burrow. Falling asleep. Right. Slowly sitting up, I yawned before searching for the sight that had Sirius laughing so hard. Fred and George were standing in front of him looking just as amused while Percy, bright red, sputtered next to them. Sirius grinned at me. 

"Hey sleeping beauty, we were just talking 'bout Percy's sex life or lack of."

My facial expression must have shown some of the disgust I felt at the chosen topic because it set Sirius and the twins laughing again. I was sure one or all three of them were about to throw themselves on the floor and start rolling around.

"A-actually, Percy was about to tell us where he took his last date, weren't you, Perce?"

"It was most certainly _not_ a date! It was a _business arrangement_!"

Predictably, this sent the twins into even louder fits of glee while Sirius grinned even wider, if it were at all possible.

"That's right, your boss basically told you to bring a date so you wouldn't look like a loser in front of the visiting wizards, didn't he?"

Percy looked apoplectic.

"_No_! It was to promote the impression of leading well-balanced lives!"

By the time one of the twins cracked "what'd you do, hire a hooker?" the teasing had attracted the attention of a good portion of the room. I knew that if I didn't put a stop to it and get the crowd to focus on something else, no one would leave me alone long enough for me to fall asleep again.

"You," I pointed to the twins, "leave him alone. And you," I looked at Percy, "ignore them. I do it to Ron all the time, it isn't that difficult. And _you_," I smacked Sirius and gave him the sternest glare I could manage after having been awake for less than five minutes, "shut up, idiot," I insulted him fondly even as I let my head fall into his lap and my eyes fall closed, "it was a perfectly nice date." I grinned and savored the stunned silence, letting fuzzy images lure me back to sleep…

* * *

The next time I woke it was because someone was talking loudly near me and the hand that had previously been running through my hair had stilled. 

"Hey there, Hermione."

"She's asleep." I vaguely heard Sirius inform the speaker, picking up the soothing motions of his hand once again.

"Well, she's gotta wake up soon anyhow, mum's setting all the food out on the tables right now."

Food. My stomach grumbled loudly at the thought and I cracked an eyelid long enough to make out Bill standing above me.

"Food?"

Sirius laughed at me. "Yes, Mya. Chicken and ham pie, potatoes, turkey, Christmas cake –"

I groaned at the mental image that immediately sprung up of delicious cake and heard my stomach grumble again before an unfamiliar hand was tugging me off of Sirius.

"C'mon, Hermione, you can sit next to me and Sirius can sit with Lupin, Augustus and my parents."

"Sure?" I half-asked, half-answered, slumber making my thought process slow. I barely had time to glance back at Sirius sitting on the couch before Bill was dragging me into the kitchen. I reluctantly made the standard small-talk with Bill until he brought up breaking curses when I fought exhaustion to pester him through dessert about his job and how he got along with the goblins (how close was their magic to house elf magic? Did they have an innate talent or gift for protecting things? Is that why they ran the only wizarding bank? Did they sometimes break curses themselves?). Finally, when I couldn't stop yawning, I excused myself and walked around to the far side of the table to bend and talk to Sirius.

"Siri, I'm tired. Can we go home early?"

Unfortunately, before Sirius had a chance to answer, Mrs. Weasley overheard and quickly butted in. "Nonsense, Hermione! You haven't even opened any of your presents yet!"

"I know, Mrs. Weasley," I sighed, "and I'm really sorry but I started work at five thirty this morning and I'm set to do the same tomorrow morning. I really just want to go home and catch some sleep while I can." I must have really looked ready to keel over because she merely tsked before jumping up and setting about to pack up some of the food so Sirius and I could take it home with us.

"Hey."

I looked down at Sirius who was worriedly touching my wrist.

"You alright?"

I nodded affirmatively before replying, "I'm just really tired."

"Okay, then," he said, pushing back from the table and leaving his dessert half-finished, "let's get going then."

"Now, both of you, come back bright and early tomorrow morning to open presents – I think the rest of us can control ourselves until then as well."

The groans that issued from the people near enough to hear what was being said were quickly silenced with a swift glare.

"You don't have to do that, Molly," Sirius told her as he accepted the food parcel, one arm already wrapped around my shoulder and allowing me to rest my head.

"Don't be silly, Sirius, just make sure she gets to sleep right away and bring her back early tomorrow."

Uncharacteristically lazy, I went with Sirius by slide-along disapparition and let him pick me up and place me on my bed.

"Alarm clock?" I wearily managed.

"Don't worry, Mya, I'll take care of it."

I was asleep before he took my shoes off.

* * *

"_Ten!"_

_Sirius grinned wickedly, a grin I was fairly familiar with after spending a month with the Marauders._

"_Nine! Eight!"_

_Using reflexes that clearly hadn't deteriorated with age, his arms shot up and snapped back, bringing me on to his lap._

"_Seven!"_

"_Sirius!" I squirmed as much as I could._

"_Six! Five!"_

"_I never said I wasn't able to follow a conversation, Mione darling, you came up with that one all on your own."_

"_Four! Three!"_

"_Sirius!" I squirmed even more but his arms, if anything, actually tightened around me. "What are you doing? Let go of me!"_

"_Two!"_

"_Nothing, love."_

_With that smile? Yeah, right. And 'nothing' doesn't make me get a weird feeling in the pit of my stomach._

"_One!"_

"_Happy New Year, Hermione."_

_Cheering exploded downstairs, "wooo!"_

_And then…he kissed me…_

I couldn't help it, spending New Year's eve weaving my way through a crushing throng of people at Grimmauld Place, looking for Sirius, kind of made me think – okay, made me mentally _relive_ in intricate detail – the previous year's party where a drunken Sirius had saluted the new year by giving me a kiss he didn't remember. Generally, I chose not to remember as well because, well, how awkward would _that_ be? But the reality of it is that _I_ wasn't drunk and every once in a while something vividly reminded me of what had happened.

"Excuse me? Mrs. Weasley?" Boy does this feel like déjà vu, "have you seen Sirius?"

"Don't you mean 'that mutt'?"

"Professor Snape," I stated, surprised to see him there. "Er, happy New Year."

"Unlikely." He looked past me at Mrs. Weasley and sneered at the glass of elderflower wine she was holding before turning his attention to give me a studying look. "As you seem to be the only person who has not over-indulged in alcohol tonight, I am forced to place you responsible for getting the Order in the kitchen and the others out of this house. I shall return to Hogwarts for the remaining professors."

"Yes, sir." I nodded once – anything to make the insanely loud music stop – and ignored his surprised look as I headed to turn off the music. Having done so, I used my wand to shoot loud _bangs_ over the grumbling crowd.

"Sorry, party's over. If this isn't where you belong, go home."

"Aw, c'mon, Hermione. Don't be such a spoilsport – y'know, I bet I can think of something to cheer you up and put you back in the party mood."

I looked steadily at a grinning Bill and said, in measured tones, "Bill, in the kitchen."

Over the past couple of years the words 'in the kitchen' to members of the Order had become synonymous with 'Order meeting.' Suddenly, members scattered throughout the crowd started yawning loudly and shouting about going home to sleep as they started pushing people through the front door. I hopped off the table I'd stood on to make my announcement and started casting cleaning spells as I worried about what had been so urgent that Professor Snape couldn't wait until the next scheduled meeting. Almost as soon as everyone had left, members of the Order started apparating back in and going straight to the kitchen, barely pausing to throw a greeting my way.

"Hey, Hermione."

"Wotcher, Hermione."

"C'mon, My," Sirius said, standing in the doorway to the kitchen, "we can finish that later. I've already done in here."

"_You_ know a cleaning spell?" I joked nervously, still worried.

"Shocking, I know."

"Wait a minute," I frowned, forgetting to be worried as I realized, "you know how to cook and clean…"

"Yes?"

"So why do you practically _live_ at _my_ place?"

He grinned. "My dear, darling, Mya. Just because I know how doesn't mean I don't prefer having it done for me."

I hit him, pretending to be annoyed instead of amused. "_You_ are just _lazy_," I accused him as we walked into the kitchen together.

"I could have informed you of that fact years ago, Miss Granger," Professor Snape said silkily as he glared at Sirius. Before Sirius could answer, the Headmaster spoke up.

"Now, Severus. You may insult Sirius at another time and place which is _not_ reserved for news and planning. And Sirius, please refrain from baiting Severus during a meeting. Actually, Severus, that goes for you as well. Am I clear?"

There was a pause before Professor Snape spoke first, "yes, headmaster."

I elbowed Sirius hard, making him grunt and giving rise to a malevolent smile on Professor Snape's face.

"Sure, Albus," Sirius spoke as I started pushing him towards a chair. He sat down. "No baiting _Snivellus_ during a meeting."

I smacked the back of his head.

"Ow! Mya!" He whined, looking up at me. I glared down at him until he turned his gaze to the table and shrunk back before I sat next to him, passing on the sobering potion that was making its way around the room. The Headmaster looked amused as he gestured for Professor Snape – who's eyes practically, uncharacteristically, twinkled – to continue.

"Of course, Albus. Earlier today, the Dark Lord called together the Death Eaters. He said that this New Year will be the first in his reign. He will start with relatively small scale attacks but plans that, by this time next year, Albus and Potter will be dead and the Death Eaters can begin…_rounding up_ muggleborns."

* * *

"Hey." 

Basically, Voldemort plans to turn the muggleborns he doesn't kill into slaves. Slaves given to his most valued followers. Slaves for them to do whatever they want with. And he won't wait until war has been officially declared – he's given permission to his followers – _Death Eaters_ – to take any muggleborn – _mudblood_ – off the streets that they fancy _needs_ _punishment_ and just…

"Hermione."

Someone's holding my hand. I make myself look up and see Sirius.

"C'mon, Mya."

_I'm scared_. I want to tell him, as he pulls me out of my chair. He seems to understand.

"Come on, My, I'm lazy, let's just crash here tonight. My bed's still here, after all. Alright?"

_I'm scared_. I want to tell him, as I nod once and let him lead me up the stairs.

"And don't think I'm letting you kick me out of my own bed – I'm not as nice as you!"

_I'm scared_. I want to tell him, as he pushes the door open, pulls the covers down and lets me crawl on to the bed.

"Well then, you want the bed? Looks like you're stuck with me."

_I'm scared_. I want to tell him, as he climbs in after me and lets me burrow into his warmth.

"Sirius," I manage to voice, tucked in against him, "I'm scared."

"I know," he answered, rubbing my back with soothing strokes, "but it'll be okay."

And then…_I'm safe_.

* * *

"Hey, does that have suggestions for what to do on Sunday?" 

Sirius motioned to the Daily Prophet in my hands as he served himself coffee.

"Why?" I teased him, "do you have a date for Valentine's Day? Or do you need one?"

I grinned and jokingly tossed him the 'Lonely Hearts' personal ads section.

"Yeah, I figured that since you'd be out with Anthony it'd be pretty depressing being stuck here by myself so I asked out Diana Gudgeon." He said absentmindedly, looking down at the newspaper.

"Oh." I thought of the intelligent Ravenclaw who'd been the first of 'our' school year to apologize after he'd been proven innocent. I tried to think of what she'd liked. "You could take her dancing? I think she liked that club where we had your birthday party."

"Yeah, maybe." He snorted, "have you actually _seen_ these things?"

"No, why?"

"Who actually _writes_ these? 'Shy sorcerer seeks wicked witch'," he quoted and smiled innocently up at me, "maybe you should answer that one."

"Sirius!" I rolled up my paper and hit him lightly with it like some would a misbehaving dog.

"I am being serious!" He quipped. "'Quiet witch seeks non-bat owning wizard', poor Snivellus, he's being rejected through a personal ad even before the chick's met him."

"Sirius!" I exclaimed, trying not to laugh. "Be nice!"

"What?" He grinned. "'Crazy sorceress seeks wacky wizard' this one wouldn't be yours, by any chance?" He raised his eyebrows and contorted his face into a comical expression. "'cuz, y'know, _I_ could be wacky."

I laughed and he continued reading them.

"'Warlock into Transfiguration seeks like-minded witch', I wonder if McGonagall will answer this one."

I couldn't help but laugh again as Anthony's owl, Alasdair, flew in through the window and landed on the table. I was still smiling as I untied the letter from around his leg and was about to send him off with a biscuit when Sirius jumped up.

"Wait, wait! This is too perfect!"

"What is?" I asked, frowning in confusion at him when he grabbed paper and a quill before sitting back down.

"'Dear Warlock into Transfiguration, my name is Minerva McGonagall and I happen to teach Transfiguration up at Hogwarts.'"

"Oh, Sirius, _no_!" I was torn between laughing and being terrified that he would actually send it.

"'After reading your personal ad in Monday's Daily Prophet I just couldn't help myself and had to write you.'" He spoke in a high pitch tone, "'as my heart is lonely too. Along with teaching Transfiguration I also happen to be an animagus as well as free for supper on Valentine's Day.'"

"Sirius! You're making her sound so desperate!"

He ignored me and continued. "Signed, 'your hopeful, like-minded witch, Minerva "Kitty" McGonagall'."

I stared in shock as he took the piece of twine that had previously held Anthony's letter to Alasdair's leg. "Sirius! You can't actually _send_ that!"

He grinned at me, "why not? I'm doing the old bird a favor. She might have a date on Valentine's Day too."

"Sirius!" I made a grab for the letter but he jerked it out of my reach. "Come on! Stop it!"

"Make me." He challenged, smiling. I chased him out of the room as he started laughing again, holding the letter out in front of him.

"Sirius! You've _got_ to be kidding! You _can't_ send that!" I managed to tackle him on to the couch and immediately started to reach for the letter again. "_Sirius_!" I whined.

"Um, am I interrupting something? I can go…" Neither of us had even noticed Harry apparating in. I sat up and turned to see him staring in surprise at the way I was practically straddling Sirius, though up until then I hadn't really noticed that either. He was the one to answer Harry first.

"Not at all," he managed to hand the letter off even as he was still laying under me. As soon as he'd given the letter to Harry both hands instantly gripped my waist and he grinned before speaking again, "quick! Send this off."

My eyes widened and I tried to move off Sirius, wriggling, but he wouldn't let me. "Harry, no! Don't!" But Alasdair was already on his way out of the window and my shoulders slumped in defeat while Sirius only started laughing again. Harry looked at both of us in turn.

"What did I just do?"

The letter safely on its way, Sirius let me slide off his lap and sat up himself. He explained what he'd done to Harry as I stuck my tongue out at him and headed to the kitchen to read Anthony's almost-forgotten letter.

* * *

"G'night, Anthony." 

"Good night, Hermione."

I entered my flat to find it dark and empty.

"Sirius?" I called, out of habit, before remembering he had had a Valentine's date as well and how happy Anthony had seemed when he showed up to see Sirius getting ready for his own date. Anthony was strangely sensitive to the whole subject of Sirius.

Turning on the lights I saw a note sitting on the kitchen counter.

_Mya-_

_Out with Diana but I should be home by ten or eleven at the latest. After you left Molly came by and dropped off some of her homemade strawberry ice cream as a Valentine's Day gift – I swear I haven't touched it! Just put it in the freezer. Hope you had fun with Anthony and I'll see you when I get back._

_-S_

I put the letter down and glanced at the muggle clock, noting it said a quarter after ten. Yawning, I opened the freezer door and had stuck my head inside when the unmistakable _crack_ of apparition sounded out behind me.

"Stuck, Mya?" Sirius asked with a hint of humor in his tone. I pulled my head out.

"Ha, ha, ha. Now where's my ice cream? I can't find it."

He laughed and gently moved me out from in front of our freezer.

"I'll get it. I'll even serve it into bowls – you make hot chocolate and I'll meet you on the couch."

"Fine," I sighed, reaching into one of the cupboards overhead and pulling out Althea's Already Hot, Hot Chocolate packets. Fixing up two mugs of the stuff I followed Sirius out of our kitchen into our front room with its lone couch and many book-covered shelves.

"So next Thursday, we're definitely eating lunch at The Firefly."

I almost laughed. "What kind of name is _that_?"

"It's the name of the most delicious restaurant in the world."

"Really?" I cocked my head and took another bite of ice cream.

"Really – and you're ordering their chicken thing with the yellow sauce thing so I can try it."

My mouth dropped open, "you can't tell me what to do!"

"I can if you want more strawberry ice cream."

I pretended to gasp and held my bowl close to me.

"Low blow, Sirius, _very_ low blow."

He grinned and stole my mug of hot chocolate. I stuck my tongue out in response and grabbed _his_ unattended mug. Together, we both started laughing as we sat on the couch and enjoyed our Valentine Day's dessert.

**End Note -To give credit where credit is due, the title of the song "God Rest Ye Merry Hippogriffs" appears in Chapter 22 of Book 5 and the lyrics "God rest ye merry hippogriffs, fear not this Christmas day" comes from the version written by Nimbus Girl over at Mugglenet Interactive (personally, I liked this one better than other versions I saw which stayed very close to "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen"). The restaurant name "Firefly" is a shout-out to the cancelled TV series of the same name. The movie "Serenity", which is based off the series, comes out with a collector's edition DVD which I highly recommend everyone buy like I am ;)**** It's seriously an amazing show & movie.**

**- C.R.C.**


	22. 21:Those Lazy, Hazy Crazy Days of Summer

Eulogizing Memoirs

Amelie Rae Lanhoss

**A/N- Senior year in high school is **_**crazy**_**. This is, as always, in loving memory for K.M.L.**

**-C.R.C.**

Chapter 21-Those Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer

On the last day before us trainees got a brief, month-long summer break, I found out that I'd gotten one of the three internships offered at Glover Hipworth Healing Studies Laboratory during the traditional break St. Mungo's awarded it's first-year trainees. Basically, my month-long holiday was being shortened to just a weekend but as a reward I would get to spend the summer doing genuine research in healing potions and spellwork rather than just using already discovered ones to treat common maladies. The first thing I did was to head straight for Diagon Alley with my list of recommended reading. I didn't waste any time in picking up the books I was supposed to, which is how Sirius found me studiously going through _Asiatic Anti-Venoms_ with a pile of new textbooks next to me, very early the next morning.

"Mya! Ready to have fun now that your summer break has finally come around?"

When he caught sight of me a scandalized expression crossed his face.

"Is that a _textbook_? Are you – are you _reading_ it?"

"That is what most people do with books, Padfoot." Remus, who I hadn't noticed until then, clapped him on the back and smiled at me, "I take it you got the internship, then?"

I nodded, grinning proudly, "Yup, Kyle and I and, I think, someone from the fourth floor, Jasper something-or-other."

"Kyle's the bloke from your classes at the academy, right?" Sirius asked as he lazily settled into the couch across from me, "the other overachiever who worked Christmas too?"

I nodded. "I've never met the other one though."

"Well, congratulations Mya."

I smiled warmly, "thanks, Remus."

"I'll see you both tomorrow night for Harry's party, right?"

"'course you will, my godson only turns the big 2-0 once!"

"He'll be 19, Siri." I commented off-handedly, attention back on my notes while Remus laughed.

Sirius barely took any time to recover before exclaiming again, "'course you will, Moony! My godson only turns the big 1-9 once!" He frowned briefly, "somehow that doesn't have the same ring as 'two – oh.'"

Still laughing, Remus said his goodbyes and left.

"Well c'mon then, Mya, we should go celebrate!" He bounded up off the couch and practically skipped the short distance to my desk.

"I don't have time, Sirius, I have to get through these for Monday," I waved him off.

"You don't seriously think whoever moonflower –"

"Professor Moonshine," I corrected absentmindedly.

"The Moonflower man," he reiterated, "actually expects you to get through all of these books in just a weekend, do you?"

"Well, no," I admitted reluctantly, "but I'd like to."

"We're going to celebrate," he told me firmly.

I sighed and glanced up. "Sirius," I barely started before he jerked my copy of _Asiatic Anti-Venoms_ out from under my hand, "Sirius!" I cried again, outraged.

He looked at me sternly, "you need to relax every once in a while like a normal witch, Hermione."

"I do not! Give me my book back!"

His only response was to steal my painstakingly taken notes too.

"No. You are going to have fun."

"This _is _fun!" I forced a smile that probably looked more like a grimace. "_See_? This is my having fun face! Now can I _please_ get my things back?"

He just stared at me. "Seriously? _This_ is your idea of fun?" He shook his head sadly, "no, no, no. It's summer. You are going to go put your swimsuit on and we're going to go to that muggle pool two streets away and you _will_ have fun."

"_Sirius_," I whined, although one look at his face told me he wasn't about to back down. Normally I wouldn't have either but it was Sirius and I was tired after having spent most of yesterday evening and last night reading. I still made sure to sigh loudly so he knew just how much of an ordeal I was taking this as. "_Fine_."

Purposefully dragging my feet, I headed towards my bedroom. Honestly? I wasn't sure I even _owned_ a swimsuit, but knowing Sirius it was better to just transfigure one than point out this fact because it certainly wouldn't stop him in his newfound mission to get me in a pool.

"And don't just think you can start reading again in there!" He called from the sitting room. "If you're not out in five minutes I'm coming in after you, dressed or not!" He threatened.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting dressed."

Soon after, we were at the local muggle pool – which really was just a short walk away – where both children and adults were cooling off from the hot July sun. Almost as soon as we'd set our towels down on a couple of lounge chairs, Sirius promptly pushed me backwards into the pool. Arms flailing, I managed to get a grip on one of his and pulled him in with me. We both surfaced at about the same time and even as he grinned at me I shoved his head furiously back underwater. A shrill whistle cut through the air.

"_No dunking_!" the lifeguard yelled.

"Sorry!" I called back, immediately chastised but sill furious with Sirius. Too busy focusing on the lifeguard, I missed Sirius' reemergence and only turned back towards him in time to see him leaping towards me. I admit, I shrieked very high-pitched and girlishly, expecting retaliation. Instead of dunking me though, he just started tickling me underwater, further eliciting girlish squeals, though this too, got us another whistle for antagonizing the lifeguard.

"_No horseplay_!"

"Sorry!" I called back again, meaning to smack Sirius. Unfortunately, he kicked back too fast for me and I wound up smacking my hand down on the surface of the water, earning yet another whistle from the red lifeguard.

"_No splashing_!"

Sirius could only laugh as, blushing furiously, I swam back for the edge of the pool. Kicking once, twice to help lever myself out, I ignored the sounds of a near-hysterical Sirius following and headed back to our towels.

"Aw c'mon, Mya, now _that_ was just fun!" he declared, throwing himself down onto a lounge chair next to me.

"Oh shut up," I snapped at him, though not very fiercely. He leaned conspiratorially towards me.

"Really though, that lifeguard was just rude. Think we should do something about it?"

His Marauder grin was too wide to be innocent. My eyes narrowed at his incomprehensible muttering, seeing the end of his wand just barely poking through the folded towels. In an instant he was grinning and holding what looked like plain and ordinary red swim trunks. I didn't even have time to question him before a not-so-manly yelp came from the direction of the lifeguard chair and he went diving into the pool. Only after I realized that he was just treading water and looking around nervously that I realized he hadn't jumped in after anyone and what Sirius had actually done.

"_No_!" I hissed at him, "Sirius you can't do that! Go give them back!"

He only chuckled and lazily threw them at me before stretching back and closing his eyes, seemingly settling in for a nap.

"_You_ go give them back."

Glaring at him had no effect as he couldn't see me so, beet red, I made my way back over to the edge of the pool, holding the swim trunks gingerly between two fingers and as far away from my body as possible.

"Ah, sir."

The lifeguard, who barely looked any older than me glared up at me as I held the swim trunks out in his direction.

"I, er, found these and I think they might, um, belong to you."

He tried to jerk them out of my hand so fast as I was leaning over that it sent me head first back into the pool. Sputtering to the surface I felt the lifeguard, now looking as red as I was, take hold of my arm to bring me closer to the pool's edge. We both climbed out – he'd miraculously managed to put his trunks back on underwater – and I hurried towards the chairs, too mortified to look back. I found Sirius laughing at the whole episode and glared, jostling his chair and wringing my wet hair over his face.

"Aw c'mon, My, don't be such a bad sport."

I just glared at him again and laid down on my own lounge chair, resolutely shutting my eyes. Eventually, the warm sun and actual humor of the situation melted my anger enough for us to have fun for the rest of the day, alternately playing around in the pool and drying off on our chairs, sometimes talking about Harry's birthday party the next day or the start of my internship the day after that and sometimes not, just lazing about silently.

* * *

The alarm rang at seven o'clock on the first day of my summer internship. Meaning, of course, that it did _not_ ring at six o'clock, like I could have sworn I'd set it. As soon as I realized this, I immediately shot up in bed, throwing the thin blankets aside and dashing for my closet and barely sparing any time to change before I was out in the kitchen and headed towards the front door. I was so focused on not being late for my first day that it wasn't until I heard Sirius' groans of being woken so early that I realized I didn't actually remember coming back to the flat last night. I really have to stop trying to catch up on my sleep at Weasley parties.

"Sirius?" I asked, poking my head into his room – well, the guest room – and only getting incomprehensible grunts in reply. "You didn't reset my alarm, did you?"

"Six s'too early," he slurred.

"Damnit, Sirius! What if I'm late now?!"

Barely resisting the urge to find something and chuck it at his head, I spun around and left the flat, hurrying towards the elevators at the end of the hall. When the elevator arrived I got in and managed to keep myself from magically speeding it up, desperately hoping I wouldn't get to the research laboratories late. It finally arrived and I stepped off, scarcely registering the crack that signaled apparition before I ran smack into my half-naked and frowning semi-permanent roommate.

"Sirius!" I couldn't say if it was the fact that he'd apparated in a muggle building or his lack of clothing – obviously he had just rolled out of bed since he was only wearing shorts – that startled me the most.

"You didn't eat breakfast."

_What_? _That_ was why he'd just apparated in plain view of any muggle who happened to be passing through our building's lobby? Because I'd skipped breakfast?!

"You can't just _apparate_!" I hissed, appalled, "this is a _muggle_ building!"

He took my elbow and started to drag me back into the elevator.

"Well, I wouldn't have _had_ to apparate if you hadn't forgotten breakfast. Really if there was any breaking of the Statute of Secrecy it was all your fault."

"I didn't forget, Sirius! _You_ changed my alarm clock setting! I have to be at the labs in less than half an hour! I don't have _time_ for breakfast!" He jerked on my arm and I stumbled into the elevator nonetheless.

"I know for a fact that you don't start until eight – it won't kill you to be on time rather than ridiculously early for once, Mya. Besides, you're a witch, you can apparate – you won't be late just because you have breakfast."

I managed to get my arm out of his grip and got off the elevator again. "I don't have time, Sirius."

He sighed, obviously tired, and held his hand out, holding the elevator doors open with one foot. "C'mon, My, I know you – as soon as you skip one meal for something learning related, the next thing I know you haven't had anything but toast or pumpkin juice for weeks because you 'don't have time for it.'"

I was kind of insulted. "So? I _don't_ have time for sit-down meals all of the time."

He sighed again. "You never do. C'mon," he took my wrist and pulled me back into the elevator, removing his foot and jabbing the appropriate button, "I'll even make pancakes."

"That's nice of you, Siri, really it is, but I _can't_ be late on my first day!"

"And you won't be," seeing I was about to repeat my argument, he quickly added, "did I mention I was making _banana_ pancakes?"

It was my turn to sigh, defeated, _ah banana pancakes_. "I'm _so_ going to be late." Despondently, I followed him back down our hallway to the flat anyways and sat as he got to work, wand in one hand and spatula in the other, making breakfast in just his shorts, earlier than he would ever willingly be up. I couldn't help but sigh at the first bite, _ah banana pancakes_.

"Thank you, Sirius," I told him, truly grateful at the small break before my predictably crazy schedule as an intern would officially start.

"You're welcome, Hermione."

* * *

It was only a few weeks later, near the end of my internship, that I managed to apparate home only a little late for supper rather than the usual midnight or one o'clock in the morning. I was in a foul mood although, to be honest, I'd been in a foul mood for a while: ever since I'd realized that my 'internship' was little more than just being a lab grunt.

I was about to slam the front door of the flat behind me when more than one voice reached me from the kitchen and I restrained myself. Who would be here besides Sirius? Standing outside the doorway of the kitchen, I heard my name and froze.

"She's been angry and short with me for weeks. I dunno Moony, I think I might've done something to piss her off without realizing it."

"Don't you think she'd tell you if you'd done something to anger her? This _is _Hermione we're talking about; she's not exactly shy about telling someone when she thinks they're in the wrong. Maybe she's just been busy with her internship."

"Yeah but she's not just in 'studying-for-finals-mode,' whenever she's at the Academy or working at Mungo's she can't wait to tell me more than I'd ever want to know about all the details of what she's learned that day, even when she has exams the next day to prepare for. Now, I actually _ask_ and she doesn't really tell me anything. I try to make breakfast in the morning but when I get up she's already gone or swears up and down that she doesn't have time and I just don't understand. Bloody hell, I've even been leaving some sort of supper to stay warm for her in the oven every night but she never touches it. And it's not because she doesn't know! I've keep leaving her notes on her bedroom door telling her but she still never eats it. No, I screwed up somehow; I just don't know what I did."

My heart sank and I thought back to the beginning of the month and my internship. Rather than being at the forefront of revolutionary research and brainstorming new ideas with the scientists in charge, Kyle, Jasper and I were immediately placed separately in almost closet-sized labs and given the task of doing mind-numbing, seemingly identical experiments and meticulously recording the results in minute detail. That is, we'd have to brew highly complex potions – which usually led to late hours – in which we only changed one minor detail, like the direction of a stir or how much of one ingredient we added or after how many minutes of brewing we added it or when the ingredient used was cultivated. Because of the complexity of the potions we were working on, usually one minor change rendered the entire cauldronful a complete waste. They weren't even really _our_ potion experiments, basically we were doing the hard work of the laboratories' supervising scientists, who actually got to spend _their_ days theorizing and brainstorming. It was hardly what I'd expected and my disappointment and exhaustion at regularly pulling sixteen to eighteen hour days translated into my snappish attitude towards anyone and everyone. Since we were practically living together, Sirius had gotten the brunt of it ever since the start. And now I just felt horribly guilty on top of my already dark mood. I sighed and actually stepped into the room.

"It's not your fault Sirius, you didn't do anything wrong."

He just looked stunned, Remus was the first to speak.

"See? I told you so." He smiled gently at me, "it's good to see you off work a little earlier than usual, it's barely eight."

I nodded.

"Well then, I'm off." He patted my shoulder and looked down at me. "You should start taking better care of yourself, Hermione. You look like me right after a full moon."

I barely managed a tired smile at him as he left. The door closing as he headed downstairs to the alley to disapparate seemed to be what Sirius needed to shake himself out of his daze.

"But you've been furious with me for weeks now. Every time I open my mouth you practically yell back at me."

I sighed again and leaned against the doorjamb. "I know. And I'm sorry. And I'll explain, but can we eat first?"

The way he practically dove for the oven broke my heart all over again and just made me feel guiltier.

"Sure, I mean, I already ate but I saved you some pork chops."

"Yum." I sat down at our small kitchen table and let him set my plate down in front of me. He sat down across from me and watched as I ate. I managed to swallow a few bites before I started talking.

"It's just, I'm usually lucky if I get him around midnight and after having been up since five or six in the morning and working all day I'm so exhausted all I want to do is collapse into bed. I don't, don't eat what you leave because I'm mad at you. Because I'm not – I mean, I'm not mad at _you_."

"Well. That's good, I'm glad, but…"

I sighed, "but I've been rude and snappy and – "

"A bitch? Well, _yeah_, pretty much."

I didn't even have the energy to glare properly, "I was actually going to say mean – "

"That too," he answered, not missing a beat, "I thought for sure you'd found out about what I did to Anthony."

I looked at him closely, food temporarily forgotten, "what did you do to Anthony?"

"Nothing!" He tried an innocent face but it just seemed mischievous.

Deciding to let it pass this time, I sighed and turned back to my meal. "Yeah, well, it's just this stupid internship."

It was his turn to look at me closely. "I thought you were happy about the internship. You worked really hard for it anyways."

I sighed again and, between bites, started telling him all about what I'd been doing and confessing most of my disappointments that it hadn't at all turned out the way I'd hoped. By the time I was done we'd settled into the old couch in the living room, each with our own bowls of ice cream.

"Wow. That does suck, My, I'm sorry."

I shrugged carelessly, the food having reinvigorated me somewhat.

"S'okay, it's not your fault. I just didn't think I was going to spend my days so tediously that they passed in a weird sort of haze."

He nodded. "So is that why you're home early tonight? You got bored?"

I blushed thinking back on it. "Uh, no, I actually got sent home." I didn't leave him time for a reaction before I hurried on and stood up with my empty bowl. "So anyways, I think I'll just go to bed now."

"Wait! What?" He grabbed my wrist. "You can't just leave after saying something like that! Why'd they send you back?"

I closed my eyes embarrassed. "Well, I haven't had much time to rest so I kind of, maybe fell asleep and missed the time to stir a potion and it kind of…blew up in my face."

He gave out a bark of laughter before quickly stifling it and pulling me back down to eye level.

"Oh no, I didn't mean, that's not funny," he told me solemnly, eyes full of mirth.

I rolled my eyes before telling him, "go ahead and laugh." He did just that and I was kind of ashamed to realize I hadn't heard him do so ever since I'd started my internship. As soon as I recognized that, I couldn't help but hug him. Encircled in his arms I couldn't help but relax even more as his chuckles started to die out. A while later, he nudged me.

"Mmm?"

"Not that this isn't nice after a month thinking you hate me but weren't you just saying you were going to bed?"

Drowsy, warm and comfortable I think I managed to mumble something about liking him better than my bed. I felt his chest rumble with laughter beneath mine as he stretched us out into something more resembling laying down on the couch, ice cream bowls forgotten on the floor.

"Well alright then, Mya dearest. Good night."

"Mmmhmm. Love you."

A weight – hand – settled on my head as I drifted back to sleep.

"Love you too."


End file.
